diff --git a/src/io.c b/src/io.c
index e229393..670ad66 100644
--- a/src/io.c
+++ b/src/io.c
@@ -38,18 +38,9 @@ char *getline(struct linefile *file) {
 			ret[len] = '\0';
 			return ret;
 		}
-		if (c == '\t') {
-			do {
-				ret = append(ret, ' ', &len, &alloc);
-				if (ret == NULL)
-					return NULL;
-			} while (len % 4 != 0);
-		}
-		else {
-			ret = append(ret, c, &len, &alloc);
-			if (ret == NULL)
-				return NULL;
-		}
+		ret = append(ret, c, &len, &alloc);
+		if (ret == NULL)
+			return NULL;
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/mdutil.c b/src/mdutil.c
index 709610e..e6ee579 100644
--- a/src/mdutil.c
+++ b/src/mdutil.c
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ void identifyline(char *line, struct linedata *prev, struct linedata *ret) {
 	}
 	if (prev->type != PLAIN) {
 		for (i = 0; i < 4; ++i) {
-			if (!isspace(line[i]))
+			if (line[i] == '\t')
+				break;
+			if (line[i] != ' ')
 				goto notspacecode;
 		}
 		ret->type = SPACECODE;