Prop 8: A Taxing Issue For Melissa Etheridge

I have long argued that as a gay person I should get an income tax break because I do not have equal rights. Maybe a 50 percent discount on federal taxes and 25 percent off state taxes. That seems fair to me. Of course, when I say this, people—even my gay friends—dismiss me as a lunatic.

Well, it looks like I'm not the only one thinking like this because California resident Melissa Etheridge just wrote a blog post for The Daily Beast positing that she shouldn't pay any state taxes at all and should be eligible for a federal tax break, too, now that the anti-gay marriage measure Proposition 8 has passed.

"Okay, so I am taking this to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books," writes Melissa, who first exchanged vows with her partner Tammy Lynn Michaels in 2003 and was planning to marry her again after gay people won the right to legally wed in California earlier this year.

Melissa continues: "Okay, cool. I don't mean to get too personal here, but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes, too."

I am not in the same tax bracket as Melissa or Ellen DeGeneres or even Alec Mapa. Most of us aren't. But can you imagine the hit state and federal governments would take if gay people didn't pay taxes?

While I love the idea, I suspect most people would be afraid to cross the IRS. Then again, if a lot of us did it, the IRS likely wouldn't even have the resources to bust all of us. They'd probably just go after rich gay people like Melissa and Ellen.

Alright, maybe this is just a pipe dream.

But I would love it if at the very least some enterprising gay organization sued the IRS, claiming it is wrongful to collect taxes from gay people given that we don't have equal rights. I could get behind that and would happily donate money to pay for the lawsuit. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Melissa offered to fund the entire lawsuit herself!

So, my fellow gay, tax-paying American citizens, what do you think of this idea? Is it ridiculous to think we shouldn't pay equal taxes? Or does it make sense?

Maybe you tax attorneys can give advice to those who are seriously considering not paying up come tax time!

(Images courtesy of Getty)

Comments

[JT]

P.S. (after reading other comments) Some of you feel proud to pay for our fair share of services. Know that you already do so, in sales tax, gas tax, road tax, license plates, etc.

Income tax is directly relevant, especially to partnered people, because we'd be obligated to less of us (as are the hetero counterparts) if the relationships were recognized. Perhaps we should withhold only the portion that we wouldn't have to pay if we were allowed to be Married, to have our relationships recognized?

As a libertarian, I'd say that ALL tax breaks like this should go away, for gays and heteros. But that's not going to happen. Straights like keeping their money in their pockets, just as we do.

Finally, someone tell me WHY we should pay for police and other "protections" when they're often amongst the oppressors? Yes, it IS getting better. Cops aren't as outwardly homophobic as they used to be. The question remains: Why pay for "services" that are treating us like a communicable disease?

Let's hope Obama can deliver equality for ALL citizens. Meanwhile, let's do what we can to procure that for ourselves.

[Brian]

One - it's not gay marriage - it's marriage.

So, we can't marry and yet we pay taxes for single heterosexual parents(married, partnered, divorced or impregnated out-of-wedlock) to provide for their children through food-stamps and welfare.  We can't be out to work in service of the country (either in the army or anything that is confidential in nature), and yet we pay taxes to support the existence of the military which has long promoted inequality between heterosexuals and homosexuals.  In Arkansas, gay couples or single gay parents are not allowed to adopt, and yet they pay money to support the public school system.  We pay taxes that go to planned parenthood that help single heterosexual parents make decisions and get appropriate health-care.  We pay taxes that support heterosexual couples to have the ability to get their marriage licenses.  We pay taxes that support health care that provides for the birth of children to heterosexual parents.  We are not allowed to marry and receive tax-cuts, causing us to pay more money to the state and federal government than heterosexual couples.  Many companies don't provide any health insurance for partnerships while providing unequal health insurance coverage to both partners in marriage, and any payment toward these benefits by heterosexual couples is pre-taxed.  In some states, our partners are not even recognized when we are hospitalized and are forbidden to see us, yet we pay taxes to support public health, nurses, and doctors.  We are allowing religion to govern what marriage means when the state can define the terms differently than religious institutions.

And since when it is acceptable to support polygamy in this country - considering the massive scandal in the Mormon church that emerge about polygamous relationships - and yet deny gay rights?

This is what Melissa Etheridge refers to when she states that we are unfairly, unjustly, and unequally taxed.

[Jeffer]

Prop 8 started with the phrase "ELIMINATES THE RIGHTS"
Any amendment that reads like that in the so-called land of freedom should be immediately deemed unconstitutional!!!

[illinoisisboring]

I bet if we sit here an blog all day the problem will fix itself.

[Rick]

I think gay people not paying taxes would be a disaster for gay issues. Homophobes would declare open season on gay issues and possibly us if we didn't pay the same taxes as other Americans. We can boycott with our purchasing power. By getting large corporations to help lobby for our causes and help in creating a changing mindset. A list of supporting companies could be created so that gay people would spend their money at companies supporting our cause. As for spending money for education, most of us went to public schools supported by taxes so I don't think we can argue that point.

[Tom]

Attention:
Here is a listing of People whom Donations to Mormons for Prop 8.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pe2023SzWXxE8wYX5qWeoIw
Please check your state and city and call or write the people from the list and tell then you will not be patronizing their business. Because of there support to Prop 8. You will have to do a google search but you will be able to find their address, and phone numbers.

[Marty]

Before we stop paying taxes how about the gay community stop wasting thousand of individual dollars going to Circuit Parties. Instead of investing in plane tickets, hotels, new clothes, booze and drugs. How's about investing in our personal freedom? What about the Circuit Parties stop donating money to HIV/AIDS programs and start donating the money from these events to Marriage Equality. I know this is going to piss people off by this comment. "They" are going to come up with an example of why we still need to support HIV/AIDS charities. Let's be honest there is enough funding for HIV/AIDS in 2008 in the U.S., Southeast Asia and Africa are different stories. I think that the organizers of the upcoming White Party, New Years Eve Parties and Winter Party would be serving out community better by donating the charitable portion of their events to Marriage Equality causes. All three of these events are occurring in FL where gay marriage was defeated, this is a better way to support the appeal of the gay marriage ban. Also Atlantis, R.S.V.P. and Olivia cruises should also donate a portion of their cruises revenues to Marriage Equality. We need to change the mentality and financial focus of our charitable causes. I think that we need to stop having benefits for HIV/AIDS charities. Although we don't have a cure for HIV/AIDS it is being treated in the U.S. We need to focus on fighting for our equality and for putting our gay dollars to a lesser funded cause, Marirage Equality.

[John Bisceglia]

More and more of us are WAKING UP, America. No taxation without equality; simple math.

Now the feds will need to repeal DOMA and DADT, grant us FULL equal rights (including marriage), and begin to start viewing our families - OUR FAMILIES - as the tax-paying contributing members of society we are.....well.....we USED to be!

Because if our HOMES, our FAMILIES, our very BELOVED are not acknowledged and valued as other families are legally, whatever we do outside of that home will never be acknowledged and valued legally, such as adopting children, working without discrimination, or serving openly in the military.

FAMILY FIRST. What is more important than FAMILY?

We owe the IRS absolutely NOTHING until equal. NOTHING. Get it?

This is NOT a test.
This is NOT a debate.
This is NOT a vote.
This is definitely NOT a popularity contest.

This IS justice - GAY TAX PROTEST.