Comments on: Is Uncle Sam over-charging gay couples?

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:35:48 +0000

Be careful before filing as “head of household”. Even though our same-sex spouses/partners can, in some situations, be considered dependants (as my wife does), they cannot qualify you to file as head of household. For that, one of your dependants needs to be a qualifying child or relative. (See IRS Code, Section 2,(b)(3)(i))

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:11:33 +0000

Just use the IRS rules against them….Transfer assets between each other at lower cost. Reduce your capital gains, legaly, since you (g/l couples) are two unrelated individuals in the eyes of the IRS.
EXAMPLE:
Gay/Lesbian Florida couples get the homestead property tax exemption twice because they cannot get married. $50,000.00 each or $100,000.00 per gay couple while married couples only get $50,000.00. As soon as you are legally married in Florida you cannot claim two seperate residents…there goes the homestead property tax exemption!
Show the straight bigots how we (G/L)are avoiding taxes and we will have full marriage rights in a year. Can’t you hear the conservatives now! HAHAHAHA Be gay and avoid taxes. Turn this thing around…use the current tax laws against them…. Don’t always play the victim, out smart the republicans, use their own unequal laws against them.

By: Robert, NYC

Robert, NYC — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:53:12 +0000

Even if Obama manages to pass civil unions legislation at the federal level, what does he do about the same-sex marriages already performed if DOMA remains in 30 states? This is so screwed up and unfair. From what I’ve learned, it is very difficult for the federal government to force states to abolish state laws that purportedly trump federal laws. This has to be one of the downsides of a federalist system of government, an obstacle to enacting national legislation in all 50 states. Another example of how inequitable this system of ours is…that some states don’t even have income tax legislation. I just don’t get it. No wonder we get nowhere fast with equality legislation when there are even inequities in how the IRS laws are enforced or not and are not applicable to all states.

By: censoredagain

censoredagain — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:01:03 +0000

I would like to see the income tax abolished all together! The income tax finances the federal governments usurpation of individual and states rights.

On anther note… maybe we should call Uncle Sam Master Sam or Comrade Sam or maybe even Darth Sam

By: George

George — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:50:54 +0000

This was a huge surprise to my partner and I. After having filed a law suit against my employer to even get health care benefits for my partner we discovered the federal tax penalties for doing so. It was costing us over $200 a month to have him on my insurance. Now that we own a house together we are again feeling the sting, since only one of us can take the tax deduction. I am hopeful that things will change with the new administration in Washington.

By: Michael Gemmell

Michael Gemmell — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:41:24 +0000

My husband and I saved $3,000 on our California state income tax for calendar year 2007, but we’ve paid $100,000.00 MORE in federal taxes combined 2003-2007 than another couple with identical incomes but whose legal marriage is recognized by the federal government as a “special right” because they are of mixed gender. I’m sick and tired of subsidizing the heterosexuals’ “lifestyle.”

By: TJNV

TJNV — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:31:02 +0000

Hopefully the unfairness of all this will be obvious to our courts and help bring down the peice of hate and bigotry that is DOMA.

Tom in Long Beach (Married in Ca) and we did do extra tax forms this year.

By: alex

alex — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:54:17 +0000

I know personally how true this is. I not only pay income tax on the health benefits that my husband receives through my employer but we as a couple pay more in federal taxes. We didn’t realize how bad it was until a year or so ago when CA changed their tax laws to require Domestic Partners to file joint. In doing so our accountant had to do double sets of taxes to accommodate joint state and separate Fed tax. He found we got a huge break in the state and out of curiosity ran our joint Fed taxes and it showed another huge break.