Does chlorinated tap water harm plants?

Factual Questions
1

I was reading this thread Need to make garden hose in-line chlorine filter and noticed one of the posters, Yeah, indicated (quite amusingly) that the entire project to reduce chlorine in tap water to be used in watering the lawn was largely a waste of time.

I googled up a few sites and most sites (mostly agricultural and municipal water supply related) confirmed his observation. There were two houseplant care sites that said chlorinated water was not desirable for houseplants, but didn’t really elaborate as to why.

What’s the straight scoop on chlorinated tap water and plants?

2

The usual explanation is that the chlorine kills off the micro-roots (root hairs?) that actually absorb nutrients for the plant. I have no idea if it’s true.

I always use water that’s been left standing overnight at least to let some of the chlorine dissipate. That has the added advantage of letting it come to room temperature; most houseplants are tropical, so chilling the roots can’t be good (even if it’s not actually bad).