Marriage Penalty

From Nevada Appeal:

There are several proposals about income tax rates in the future. Most of those proposals have a “threshold” of $200,000 for single taxpayers and $250,000 for joint returns.

The new, additional 3.8 percent Medicare Surtax starts Jan. 1, 2013, for taxpayers with adjusted gross income above those thresholds who have investment income.

What I don't understand is why the joint return threshold is not twice what it is for a single person.

If a single person has a allowable Adjusted Gross Income of $200,000 before the 3.8 percent surtax may apply, why wouldn't a couple filing a joint return have a threshold of $400,000? Instead, the couple starts paying this at only $250,000.

Is Congress suggesting a way for high-income taxpayers to save tax is that they get divorced and file as single persons?

Read more here.

MR