Why I remain unconvinced about the Tories’ tax break for married couples

Ok, Fraser – I’m not going to let this tax ‘n’ marriage debate rumble on interminably, but I do want the final word!  First, I appreciate your response – it makes a very strong case, but one which fails to convince me.  Why?  Well, largely because I agreed with most of it already.  As I said in my original post, IDS and others have unearthed plenty of statistics which show just how important marriage is to the functioning of society, and to the lives of people within it.  This evidence, much of which you raise, is important and shouldn’t be ignored.  

But there are still reasons – beyond those set out by Philip Collins today – for being wary of, specifically, tax-breaks for married couples.  For starters, what’s to be gained from them?  Yes, there is an imbalance in the welfare system which sees some people (lone parents) receive income whilst unmarried which they wouldn’t receive if they were married.