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the G-man said:
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Beardguy57 said:
Gay Couple Refuses To Pay Taxes Until Australia Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

October 30, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET


(Sydney, Australia) A Sydney same-sex couple is refusing to file tax returns until the government allows them to submit a joint return as a married couple.

Australian Marriage Equality said the couple was legally married overseas and in past years had been allowed to file jointly but this year the Australian Tax Office changed its form, asking the sex of of spouses.

After submitting their return on line it was rejected. When they complained the men received a letter from the ATO saying that under the Income Tax Assessment Act of 1997 their marriage could not be recognized and that they were not entitled to name each other as spouse on their returns.

Australian Marriage Equality did not name the couple. Spokesperson Sharon Dane said the ATO decision was discriminatory.

"Same-sex couples should receive the same treatment as opposite-sex couples", she said.

The Tax Office says it is only following the law.

In 2004 the federal government passed a law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Earlier this year the Australian Capital Territory passed legislation giving same-sex couples most of the rights of marriage (story) but the bill was overturned by the federal government.

That action prompted the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to begin an investigation into inequities faced by same-sex couples. The commission has been holding hearings across the country.

Earlier this month at a stop in Brisbane the mother of a gay man told commissioners the government is imposing an apartheid-type situation on gay and lesbian couples. (story)

"The Federal Government is really persecuting the gays for something they can't help," Shelley Argent said.
"It's like the South Africans. They persecuted the blacks for something they couldn't help."

Meanwhile the ACT government has announced plans to reintroduce a modified version of laws allowing for civil partnerships.

Public opinion has been slowly shifting in favor of recognizing same-sex relationships and Prime Minister John Howard now has suggested his government may look at ways of granting limited recognition to same-sex couples. But Howard said he has no intention of repealing the ban on gay marriage.

©365Gay.com 2006



I've never understood the logic behind this, regardless of the cause. There's not a person alive who doesn't think that something their government does is unfair. But that's why we have elections and courts.

Should everyone with a beef against their government be excused from paying taxes?



It's called Civil Disobedience. A method used effectively by Thoreau, MLK, and Gandhi.

whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules.
It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness.
This is true both in politics and on the internet."

Our Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man said: "no, the doctor's right. besides, he has seniority."