The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS released a statement today ruling that “all same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes.”
This means that once the ruling goes into effect on September 16, every legally married same-sex couple from coast to coast will have achieved full equality in the eyes of the federal government (at least for tax purposes), regardless of where they live. This will come as great news to many Americans who in the past few years have considered relocation for federal tax benefits.
“Today’s ruling…provides access to benefits, responsibilities and protections under federal tax law that all Americans deserve,” said Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew. “This ruling also assures legally married same-sex couples that they can move freely throughout the country knowing that their federal filing status will not change.”
Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson says today is “a day of celebration,” but there is still much more work to be done:
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“The fact that this new respect applies only to married couples – not those joined by domestic partnerships or civil unions – highlights the need for an America where everyone can marry the person they love in any state, and have that marriage respected at all levels of government.”
Wolfson also notes the organization’s dedication to win equality in all states by the end of 2016.
Dakotahgeo
I’ve repeatedly told my liberal AND conservative friends that we will see full marriage equality in the USA within <5 years. This seems to have been given new impetus now that the FEDERAL government has spoken! Even in states where marriage equality is not supported, all married couples will be treated equally even if not married in those recalcitrant states. Great days are coming, and as California Prop 8 proponents found out the hard way… once rights are granted, the government or the people cannot rescind them! Nice, huh?! 🙂
erikwm
As Biden might say — this is a BFD. It effectively nationalizes same-sex marriage. As long as a couple can get themselves to a state where same-sex marriage is legal to obtain a license, then they are married in the eyes of the United States government.
Dakotahgeo
@erikwm: I can just see the conservative extremist christian Taliban just soiling their Depends as this news hits the airwaves, lolol. Well, dam it… they’ve been warned now for year and years so they can’t feign Alzheimer’s Disease! Five years or less, all states will have marriage equality, I
gar-on-tee it!
Sebizzar
Any step is a step, this is great news!
GayTampaCowboy
So, now the IRS is treating “legally married same-sex couples” the same as opposite sex couples for tax purposes (ie: taking money away via taxes), i sure hope EVERY legal team in EVERY STATE where gay marriage is PROHIBITED BY LAW/STATE CONSTITUTION, will add this to their cases to overthrow those laws – and they best do it ASAP!
I mean, how can a state law NOW be legal given the recent SCOTUS rulings AND this ruling? If my high school civics class taught me anything, it’s that FEDERAL LAW trumps state laws – and the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has spoken.
This should really put full equality on the FAST TRACK – i’m betting by the end of next year!
1EqualityUSA
Equality is inevitable. Equality from Coast to Coast!
Larkin
@Dakotahgeo: We all know they are full of shit… where else would they deposit it other than their depends?
Dakotahgeo
@Larkin: LOLOL… thank you, Larkin! ROFL…. I have no idea!
jwrappaport
@GayTampaCowboy: You’re generally right, but it’s slightly more complicated than that. SCOTUS only said that the federal government couldn’t lawfully refuse to recognize gay marriage. It explicitly reserved the question of state bans for another day.
In all honesty, so much of “law” is just sophistry: if the Fifth Amendment and Equal Protection forbid the federal government from maintaining DOMA, it is beyond illogical to think that the states are free to discriminate under the guise of federalism. At the end of the day, the Court either thinks gays should have the same rights as everyone else, or they don’t. That’s really what they’re deciding.
dab822
divorce attorneys are cumming in their panties