United States Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) is in Iowa this weekend which is creating a lot buzz about a potential 2012 presidential run. The Iowa caucuses typically play a big role in determining who the GOP nominee is each presidential election year. Bachmann certainly did not close the door to a run in her speech to the left, but instead came about as close as she could to announcing her candidacy without actually doing so (which would trigger all kinds of campaign laws). At the end of her speech Bachmann stated, "America has made their decision, they’ve decided, we are going to take our country back . . . I’m in, you’re in, we will take this back in 2012!" While that quote in itself was noteworthy, it was Bachmann's tax proposal that may gain the most attention from the speech.
Beginning at the (4:15) mark in the video to the left Bachmann proposes implementing a tax system that would encourage "family formation." The context of Bachmann's remarks make it clear that she would like to either give tax credits, or lower tax rates to people who are married as opposed to those who are single. Given Bachmann's past statement on gay rights, the lower tax rates and/or tax credits would also only apply to heterosexual couples. If implemented, single mothers would likely be taxed at a higher rate than mothers who are married.