Married homosexual couples have been fighting for the same rights as married heterosexual couples for years. June 26 of this year marks another victory for same-sex couples everywhere, in terms of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defense Of Marriage Act and Proposition 8. The Chabot-Las Positas Community College District has effectively applied the tax advantages, which was once exclusive to married heterosexual couples, to all married couples on July 1.
Any kind of married couple will all have the same tax advantage. All married couples in the United States will receive equal tax benefits. Same sex couples will be granted the same federal tax advantages as heterosexual couples.
All people who are legally married are eligible for the same benefits as any other legally married couple. If an individual is eligible for tax benefits and their spouses are not, then, after marriage, both individuals will be able to earn tax benefits as a couple, no matter their gender. The benefits in these tax advantages include medical, dental and vision insurance.
“We are recognizing any marriage period for tax advantages,” said David Betts, Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Director for Employee and Labor Relations.
For same sex couples that are already married, but have not notified HR, they will have until October 9 to turn in their Universal Enrollment form.
“We are holding a special open enrollment period in order to give already married same-sex couples the opportunity to receive this tax benefit,” Betts said.
After Oct. 9, couples will have to wait until June of next year for open enrollment. However, any employee has up to 30 days after their marriage to enroll their spouse in benefits, regardless of when they are married.
The students of Las Positas College also give their own opinions of this new advantage. “I believe in equal rights for everyone, so same sex couples should have the same benefits and rights as heterosexual couples,” said Philip Kilmer, a Creative Writing major.
“It’s fantastic, there’s no point that they should be in separated categories,” said Kelsi Vandamme, a Biology major. “I don’t think there should be any difference between heterosexual couples and homosexual couples.”
Despite the fact that most states prohibit same-sex marriage, this new ruling will be effective on a Federal level. This means that all legally married couples will gain the same tax benefits all over the United States and the District of Columbia. However, the new tax advantage will not apply to couples who are in domestic partnerships, civil unions or any other type of formal relationships recognized under state laws.
Any kind of married couple will not have to worry about their taxes after the new additional benefits. No matter who is in a relationship, love and marriage of any kind will be treated equally in their W2 form when tax day comes around.