Why Gay Couples Hate the IRS

Aug. 6 (Bloomberg) -- In the weeks after the U.S. SupremeCourt’s rulings on same-sex marriage, celebration has given wayto the challenges of carrying them out. The complications beginwith the Barack Obama administration’s own long equivocationover who should take the leading role in defining marriage: thestates or the federal government.

The administration’s first action in mid-July seemed to saythat responsibility fell somewhere between the two. The Officeof Personnel Management announced the extension of spousalbenefits to all married lesbian and gay federal employees,regardless of whether their home state recognizes same-sexmarriage. Yet couples in legally equivalent civil unions anddomestic partnerships would continue to be denied spousalbenefits.