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In the United States, we have policies and laws that prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their race, religious beliefs, political affiliation and gender. But ironically, we discriminate against people based on their marital status -- the federal government forces working couples to pay higher taxes if they are married.

Our current tax code punishes working couples by pushing them into a higher tax bracket. As a result, the marriage penalty taxes the income of the second wage earner, usually the wife, at a much higher rate than if she was taxed only as an individual. Right now, more than 25 million couples -- including 130,000 families in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties -- pay an average of $1,400 a year more in taxes because of this unfair penalty.

That's right. The government requires married couples to pay significantly higher taxes than their single counterparts. For example, a woman and her fiancé earning $25,000 each in taxable income are assessed $3795.50 a year in federal income taxes. Between the two of them, that adds up to $7591 a year. But if those same two individuals got married today, their taxes would automatically jump to $9036 in federal income taxes.

That's an increase in federal income taxes of $1445 -- a 19 percent jump. Over the span of a decade, that money would pay for a family car, a college education, or a down payment on a new home. On a yearly basis, this penalty is the difference between a computer for their children, a new washer or dryer, important car repairs, or home improvements.

The average American family spends more on taxes than it spends on food, clothing, and shelter combined. Many families now need a second earner not to support the household, but to support the federal government. This absurd marriage tax penalty further adds to the tax burden couples and families must endure.

Ultimately, the impact of the marriage tax is to impose a nearly 40% increased tax rate on second earners in a family, individuals who are primarily women attempting to return to the work force or continue working part-time. The unintended consequence of this tax penalty is to discourage women from entering or returning to the workforce.

Needless to say, I am strongly opposed to this inequitable tax penalty imposed on married couples. It is time to provide working couples with relief from this unfair burden. I voted for marriage penalty relief last year. But while that legislation was approved by Congress, it was ultimately vetoed by the President. Realizing the overwhelming public support for the repeal of the marriage penalty, last month President Clinton endorsed scaled down relief for married couples.

But like many of the President's proposals, it is more fluff than substance. Republican legislation -- which Congress will take up this month -- will provide four times the relief endorsed by President Clinton, providing couples with the relief they need and deserve.

In an era of budget surpluses, we can provide honest, working Americans with much-deserved relief from these unfair tax inequities. Fifty million Americans have been punished for far too long by this senseless penalty. I am proud to be part of the Congress that will finally offer relief.