Tax equity for
same-sex partners' health insurance proposed in Congress

Legislation to equalize the assessment of taxes for health-care coverage of same-sex partners was quietly introduced in Congress last week. The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, proposed by Rep. Jim McDermott, a Democrat from Washington state, would change the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gay employees' income the value of their partners' health insurance in the same way that insurance for a spouse and dependents is excluded, InvestmentNews.com reported. Under current law, employees in civil unions or domestic partnerships are taxed on their partners' medical coverage, unlike married employees. That coverage is also factored into their payroll taxes, meaning both the employees and their employers' tax obligations are higher. A companion bill is expected to be introduced soon in the Senate by Oregon Republican Gordon Smith and New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, according to InvestmentNews.com. (The Advocate)