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| Rutherford |
With nationwide momentum moving towards marriage equality, you really don't expect
us folks in South Carolina to be left out, do you:
State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, has filed a bill -- H.4461 -- that would allow legally married same-sex couples file joint state tax returns.
Same-sex
marriage is illegal in South Carolina. But it is legal in 16 states and
the District of Columbia. And the federal government officially
recognizes those marriages even if they live in a state -- like South
Carolina -- where gay marriage is illegal, allowing them to file joint
federal tax returns.
The state Department of Revenue has proposed a rule that would require legally married same-sex couples in South Carolina to file separate state tax returns.
"Requiring
legally married same-sex couples to file excess paperwork and
additional tax forms is not only discriminatory, but it is a waste of
time and tax dollars," Rutherford said in a news release. "By putting
this additional burden on legally married couples, the state of South
Carolina is intentionally creating bureaucratic red tape for political
purposes. It simply isn't right and it is our responsibility to change
this discriminatory policy."
Rutherford also filed a bill --
H.4460 -- that would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment
that would repeal South Carolina's same-sex marriage ban. Voters
overwhelmingly approved the same-sex marriage ban in 2006.
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/01/16/3210593/state-house-rep-todd-rutherford.html#storylink=cpy
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