US Same-Sex Couples Could Get Tax Refund as PRIDE Act is Passed by House

The US House of Representatives has passed the PRIDE Act, meaning same-sex couples who were married before the repeal of the Defence of Marriage Act could be getting a tax refund.

Before the Defence of Marriage Act was repealed same-sex couples in the US were forced to pay higher taxes than their straight counterparts.

According to a report by the Joint Committee on Taxation, these couples are owed around a total of $57 million.

This new Act seeks to rectify that.

PRIDE stands for The Promoting Respect for Individuals’ Dignity and Equality Act of 2019 and was reintroduced last month by presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren.

“This bill corrects injustices in our laws that failed to recognise the reality of legal same-sex marriage in our country,” said California congresswoman Judy Chu.

The Act would also replace words like “husband” and “wife” in the tax code with “married couple” and “they”.

“Discrimination has no place in our society or in our laws,” said Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

“In passing the PRIDE Act, Democrats are honouring our diversity and providing long-overdue justice to countless same-sex couples across the country who have been denied critical tax refunds because of who they are and who they love.

“By eliminating gendered language that discriminates against same-sex couples and putting money directly back into the pockets of families who have earned it, this critical legislation offers common sense fixes that modernise our tax code and honour our bedrock values.”

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