State officials in Utah reversed course
on Thursday, announcing that legally married gay and lesbian couples
can file joint state income-tax returns.
Three months ago, Utah's Tax Commission
said no to allowing out-of-state married gay couples to jointly file
state taxes.
Since then, the state has handed out
more than 1,300 marriage licenses to gay couples following a federal
judge's December 20 ruling striking down the state's ban on gay
marriage. For 17 days before the Supreme Court granted a stay in the
ruling, Utah was the 18th state to legalize same-sex
marriage.
Commission spokesman Charlie Roberts
told the Salt
Lake Tribune that the ruling “played a big role in this”
decision.
The marriages of gay couples married in
Utah and those married out-of-state will be recognized for the
purposes of filing state taxes. However, the state will not
recognize such unions for other purposes as an appeal in the case
moves forward.
“We welcome the Utah State Tax
Commission's announcement that it will permit legally married
same-sex couples to file joint income taxes for the year 2013,”
said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for
Lesbian Rights (NCLR), one of the firms involved in the case. “That
decision provides a modicum of protection for married same-sex
couples and their families, but the State of Utah's refusal to honor
the marriages of legally married same-sex couples for other purposes
is deeply disappointing.”