House and Senate teams today are expected to reconcile differences in their bills that would eliminate the so-called marriage penalty. Last night in Cedar Rapids, democrat presidential candidate Al Gore criticized the republican-led plan for bringing tax relief only to rich couples and others who aren’t even married. Iowa Congressman Tom Latham, a republican, says Gore’s out of line. He says the bill is targeted to middle income taxpayers. Latham says Gore’s charges are “simply outrageous.”He says Gore is employing a typical partisan tactic of democrat versus republican.Latham says the version of the bill he expects will win passage today will help middle-income married couples, especially those in the 15-percent tax bracket.Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat, also criticizes the republican plan. He claims it gives 78-percent of the benefits to the wealthiest 20-percent of married taxpayers.
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