I know that in the west it can pay to actually be seen to have a wife.

Which country do you hail from?

In Blighty it used to be that a married man's income tax allowance is greater than that of a single man. So you pay less tax to the govt. if you have a wife. A good thing, surely, if that's still the case! Is that still the case?

What about in other western countries?

What about homos who 'marry'? Tax advantage compared to a common law 'marriage'?

What about lesbos who 'marry'? Tax advantage compared to a common law 'marriage'?

Frankly, the rest of your post is only good for informing absolute morons! FTs aren't such people.