The Internal Revenue Service decided earlier today that same sex couples who are married in states that legally recognize their marriages will now be considered married, just like their male-female counterparts, for federal tax purposes according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which denied legally-married, same-sex couples the same benefits as those provided to heterosexual married couples, the new measure surely comes as not only a moral victory for same-sex couples, but a financial one as well.
The new law "provides access to benefits, responsibilities and protections under federal tax law that all Americans deserve," said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew earlier today. "This ruling also assures legally married same-sex couples that they can move freely throughout the country knowing that their federal filing status will not change."
When it comes to filing their 2013 tax returns, same-sex couples can now file under "married filing jointly" or "married filing separately" with the the option of filing amended returns reflecting their marital status for previous tax years, up to the statute of limitations, the Journal reports.
Another victory, but still more to be done, when it comes to same-sex partnerships in America.
