While Dan Ashbrook and his partner of 10 years, Bob Teague, consider themselves fortunate to be employed and to be doing fine financially, Ashbrook doesn't think it's fair that they have to deal with different financial issues than heterosexual couples.
While Ashbrook is able to get health insurance through Teague's employee-sponsored plan, he has to pay income tax on the amount the insurer pays toward his care -- amounting to an extra $15 or so per month. Opposite sex couples don't have to pay that tax, he said.
"It's simply unjust that I have to pay taxes on the health insurance that we're already paying for as a household," he said.
He and Teague also pay more to hire an accountant who specializes in same-sex financial issues because the paperwork gets far more complicated when you have to file using different marital statuses with the state and federal government.
"Unlike other [opposite-sex] couples, we could never go about doing our taxes on our own because of how complicated it is -- and it's very difficult to find someone who knows the ins and outs of LGBT issues," said Ashbrook.
Advocates are hopeful that President Obama's decision to support same-sex marriage will bring gay couples one step closer to equal treatment on taxes, Social Security and other important financial matters.
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