In Brief

Staff Reports

Hawai'i Set To Recognise Its First Same-Sex Unions On January 1st

HONOLULU, HAWAI'I -- In a private ceremony set for after midnight this coming Sunday,January 1, 2012, four same sex couples will enter into civil unions as the state's new civil unions law takes effect.

Hawaiian Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie had signed the civil unions’ bill into law last February 23, making the state the fifth in the nation to recognise same-sex civil unions. While civil unions are not considered marriage, the legally binding agreement provides many of the same legal rights and benefits of marriage.

For the past ten months the State Health Department has been drawing up plans for an online application process for same sex couples who want to take advantage of Hawaii’s new law. Other state agencies have also been updating their rules and regulations in order to make certain that civil union couples have the same rights as heterosexual married couples. 

Local Honolulu Station KHON reported that one of the four couples taking part in the New Year’s Eve event has been together for the past thirty-three years.

Tambry Young and Suzanne King, two women who were married in Massachusetts in 2009, are helping the couples coordinate the event as members of the CU in Hawaii 2012 Planning Committee.

“They've seen some of their friends pass away before this actually could be enacted, so it's an important step for them,” said Young. "The Department of Health did a tremendous job in getting this system up and running,” said Young. “So basically what happens is twelve midnight the system goes live.”

“We can help them kind of walk through that to make sure that they have everything up and running,” said Young. “I think everybody's realizing that this is the next step in our evolution to get full equality and I think everyone's taking it serious,” said Young.

For both Young and King, January 1 will also mark a turning point in their thirty year relationship. Their marriage in Massachusetts will also be recognized as a civil union here in Hawaii.

“Part of the process is me changing my name to Suzanne Young, which will be effective January 1,” said King. “That's pretty awesome.”

Young and King were forced to terminate their reciprocal benefits agreement in Hawaii before the state could recognize their partnership as a civil union. ~ via KHON Channel 2 

Same-Sex Couples Lose Serious Benefits On Taxes

Ken Weissenberg, (left) and his spouse Brian Sheerin
Photo Via CNNMoney

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- CNN Financial Editor and Reporter Blake Ellis reports that same-sex spouses are paying as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes because the federal government doesn't recognize gay marriage.

In the article published in CNNMoney online Monday, Blake writes that according to an analysis conducted for CNNMoney by tax specialists, same-sex families don't enjoy the same perks as many heterosexual couples, because they are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly.

The imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed -- for the first time -- that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.

But not the federal government, which is constrained by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Even as more same-sex couples are able to file jointly at the state level, they are still forced to file as single when submitting federal returns to the IRS.

This means they can't combine their income and deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates. It's also harder for them to qualify for certain tax breaks because the credits phase out sooner for single filers.

"It's costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotional pain and suffering," said Ken Weissenberg, a partner at accounting firm EisnerAmper who is in a same-sex marriage himself. "But it shouldn't stop anyone from getting married," said Weissenberg, who says he pays an extra $5,000 in taxes per year simply because he is in a same-sex marriage. "If I had to pay twice as much in taxes to be married to my husband, I would." ~ CNNMoney