BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota lawmakers and Tax Commissioner Cory Fong say they'll work to make sure married couples don't pay more in state income taxes next year.
Fong says if Congress allows a number of tax cuts to expire at the end of this year, it will cut the federal government's standard tax deduction for married couples who file a joint return. Fong says married couples would then pay more North Dakota income tax.
Fong and the chairmen of the North Dakota Legislature's tax committees say they'll introduce a bill in the 2011 session to prevent that from happening.
Fong says unless the state Legislature makes the change, about 83,000 North Dakotans would owe more in state income tax. The amount could be close to $100 a year.
