Why do governments and other institutions have anything to do with marriage; why not deregulate it?

I fail to see what justified authority the government has over marriage. It seems as though it is an institutionalized form of coercion from a doctrinal history, and a hold-over from when and where the Church was the state. I don't see where or how the government should intercede upon what people do peaceably and voluntarily in their domestic lives.Why do governments and other institutions have anything to do with marriage; why not deregulate it?
It IS a throwback leftover from when government and religion were one and the same.. Church and state really haven't been separated, so many laws are religiously based...


The government has no right to intercede upon peaceful people.Why do governments and other institutions have anything to do with marriage; why not deregulate it?
Yeah the first three answers are right, although I think ';taxes'; is an unnecessary euphemism. It's clearly so the government can have control over the situation. You see love is a scary thing for a government. They see it as a conspiracy against them. Something else coming in between the government and it's citizen is an enemy. Enemies need to be controlled. In a capitalist democracy, money is the controlling force in most situations.





There's an easy way round it though. Just get a marriage that the government doesn't recognise. Hell, I'll even do the service for you, if you want. We can do it online :)
It's about inheritance, taxes, and property rights.





It is also about determining who has the right to make medical and/or financial decisions should the person become unable and not have otherwise provided for the aforementioned with a power of attorney.
1.Taxes


2.Creates jobs ie:marriage counselors, lawyers, mediators, authors


3.Creates a standard that is so stressful that it leads to a failure rate of more than 50%
1) Property rights. 2) Taxes.