Gay Family Tax Grab
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
(Washington, D.C.) As same-sex couples rush to file their taxes before the April 15 deadline the disparity between them and their heterosexual counterparts becomes abundantly clear: Gay families pay on average higher taxes and get fewer benefits.

A joint study by the Human Rights Campaign and the Urban Institute also shows that when a gay or lesbian parent dies leaving a young child behind, the loss of Social Security survivor benefits to the family can range from $100,000 to $250,000, depending on whether state laws permitted both parents to establish a legal relationship to the surviving child.

In addition, same-sex couples with children are far less likely to have access to employer-sponsored health insurance for their families than married couples - and those who do pay hundreds of dollars more in taxes for it.

"Our families are taxed on health insurance for our partners, are unable to secure Social Security survivor benefits and pay more federal income tax when one parent stays at home than married couples.  Now, the president and many in Congress want to tamper with the Constitution to make that kind of treatment permanent," said HRC President Cheryl Jacques.