Miami Beach Passes Tax Equality Policy That Gives Tax Breaks to Coupled Gay Employees

Employees of the city of Miami Beach in same-sex domestic partnerships will no longer have to pay more taxes for their partner's health insurance than their married counterparts. The City Commission today passed a landmark tax equality policy that will reimburse those employees for the difference in taxes...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

June 5, 2013

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Employees of the city of Miami Beach in same-sex domestic partnerships will no longer have to pay more taxes for their partner's health insurance than their married counterparts. The City Commission today passed a landmark tax equality policy that will reimburse those employees for the difference in taxes.

Benefits received by gay employees for their partners are treated as income by the federal tax code, and those couples had to pay taxes on those benefits as such.

The new policy was passed unanimously by the City Commission and Mayor Matti Bower.

"The new policy is the strongest and most comprehensive of its kind in the U.S., and it ensures that city employees with domestic partners will no longer pay thousands more in taxes for their partner's health insurance than married employees pay," said Stratton Pollitzer, deputy director of Equality Florida, in a statement.

Thanks to the work of Equality Florida, Miami Beach is now the sixth government entity in Florida to pass similar policies this year. It joins Hallandale Beach, West Palm Beach, the Town of Bay Harbor Islands, the Orange County Tax Collector's Office and the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's Office.

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