Tax information center : Filing : Personal tax planning

Love, Marriage and Filing Jointly – How the Status Came to Be

February 09, 2016 : H&R Block

It’s a week of celebrations. Mardi Gras is today and Valentine’s Day is on Sunday. Did you know that Louisiana played an important role in creating the married filing jointly tax status? Its community property laws paved the way for federal adoption of the filing status.

The joint return is actually less than 70 years old. We trace its history through income splitting, the marriage penalty and same-sex marriage.

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