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Senate Dems Float LGBTQ Tax Rights Bill

by Melanie Waddell

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Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, along with the Senate Democratic Caucus, has introduced legislation providing equal dignity for all legal marriages in the tax code. 

The Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act, S. 1715, removes gender-specific references to marriage in the tax code.

“For two years LGBTQ Americans have been able to enjoy the same marriage rights afforded to all Americans, yet they continue to face unjust discrimination in many aspects of life,” said Wyden, D-Ore. “Love is love and it’s high time Congress updated our tax code to reflect that.”

Wyden noted the Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015, which stated that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage by striking down state-level bans on such marriages. 

Last year, Wyden said, the Treasury Department reflected this decision by finalizing rules allowing federal joint filing for same-sex couples. 

The bill, endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, “adds to these efforts by ensuring our nation’s tax law offers equal treatment to all married taxpayers,” Wyden said. 

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