Professor Ventry Co-Authors Op-Ed for New York Times

Professor Dennis J. Ventry, Jr. co-authored an op-ed that was published in "Room for Debate," a feature of the New York Times website.  The article, written with UC Berkeley School of Law Professor Melissa Murray, asserts that the "marriage penalty" -- increased taxes paid by some couples as a result of filing jointly -- is a "throwback to the days when women were homemakers and men were breadwinners" and "needs to go."

"Fortunately, there's an easy solution that would equalize tax treatment while also raising revenue (because marriage tax bonuses outpace marriage tax penalties)," write Ventry and Murray. "Taxes could be assessed on everyone's individual income rather than on aggregated family income. Under such a system (which prevails in other countries), marrying would be tax neutral and better reflect a modern, progressive society."

Professor Ventry is an expert in tax policy and legal ethics. His research interests include tax expenditure analysis, family taxation, professional responsibility and standards of care, tax filing and administration, tax compliance, public finance, and tax and legal history. In addition, he was recently added as a co-author on the casebook, Legal Ethics and Corporate Practice.

Room for Debate

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