Time Warner pays lesbian and gay couple’s tax on benefits
International media corporation Time Warner will begin absorbing the extra tax gay workers in domestic partnerships, civil unions or marriages pay for spousal health benefits.
Unlike heterosexual employees, employer-provided health benefits offered to the partners of gay workers are counted as taxable income by the IRS (unless the partner is considered a dependent), because their unions are not recognized by federal agencies. Blocking the IRS from recognizing gay unions is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that defines marriage as a heterosexual union.
