News (USA)

Colo. lawmaker wants to allow joint state tax returns for married gay couples

Colo. lawmaker wants to allow joint state tax returns for married gay couples

DENVER — A Colorado lawmaker who sponsored the state’s civil unions law, says he will introduce a bill this week aimed at allowing married same-sex couples to file joint state tax returns.

Pat Steadman
Pat Steadman

Sen. Pat Steadman (D-Denver) told KUSA-TV that his proposal would ensure that Colorado state tax law uses the filing status listed on taxpayers’ federal tax returns, regardless of whether the state recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples.

“Because of the US Supreme court ruling last June, the IRS now recognizes same-sex marriages,” Steadman said. “But because of a [state] constitutional prohibition, Colorado does not.”

Steadman says the legal change would enable same-sex couples who are legally married in other states, or who move to Colorado, to filing jointly as they would on their federal returns.

He says his bill would apply to legally married same-sex couples only, and not Colorado couples who enter into recently-legalized civil unions.

Steadman, who is openly gay and supports full marriage equality, adds that he won’t be sponsoring such an effort this year, and that his proposal is only about how state taxes are filed.

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