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W-GOP-RADIO WELLER sked TRANSCRIPT January 17, 1998 RADIO ADDRESS JERRY WELLER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-IL) WASHINGTON, D.C. WEBWIRE-DELIVERS REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT'S RADIO ADDRESS FEDERAL DOCUMENT CLEARING HOUSE, INC. 201 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, S.E., 2nd Floor WASHINGTON, D.C. 20003 Tel: 202-547-4512 Fax: 202-546-4194 COPYRIGHT 1998 BY FEDERAL DOCUMENT CLEARING HOUSE, INC. NO PORTION OF THIS TRANSCRIPTION MAY BE COPIED, SOLD OR RETRANSMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN AUTHORITY OF FEDERAL DOCUMENT CLEARING HOUSE, INC. REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENT'S RADIO ADDRESS JANUARY 17, 1998 SPEAKER: U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JERRY WELLER (R-IL) &1/8&3/8 WELLER: Hello. I'm Congressman Jerry Weller of Illinois with a special message for America's working married couples. In 10 days time, President Clinton will give his State of the Union Address outlining many of the things he wants to do with the budget surplus - - a surplus provided by the Republican Congress which cut waste, put America's fiscal house in order, and held the president's feet to the fire to balance the budget. While President Clinton will no doubt parade a long list of new spending proposals, without mentioning the accompanying increase in bureaucracy and red tape, we Republicans believe instead that the budget surplus ought to be returned to America's families as an additional middle-class tax relief. We should start by eliminating the marriage tax penalty affecting 21 million married working couples. This Republican Congress has given more tax relief to the middle class and working poor than any Congress of the last half century. Reforming the IRS, changing our tax code and eliminating the marriage penalty are among top priorities of this Congress. I'm asking you to consider the following questions. Do Americans feel it's fair that our tax code imposes a higher tax penalty on marriage? Do Americans feel it's fair that the average married working couple pays almost $1,400 more in taxes than a couple with almost identical income living together outside of marriage. Is it right that our tax code provides an incentive to get divorced? Since 1969, our tax laws have punished married couples when both spouses work. For no other reason than the decision to be joined in holy matrimony, more than 21 million couples a year are penalized. They pay more in taxes than they would if they were single. Not only is the marriage penalty unfair, it's immoral that our tax code punishes society's most basic institution. The