Urban Poverty Law Center Public Policy On Gay Marriage In Conservative States: Ride The Wave!

I am forced to briefly address the Gay marriage controversy by the Supreme Courts decision to allow the lower courts to brush aside the will of the people. Their decision not to address the states rights issue is essentially a green light for wedding bells to ring loud all over the country. Perhaps the Gay wedding chapels can be upstairs above the abortion clinics to remind everybody in the conservative states why both are immoral but legal.

But I digress.

States set fees for licenses. A marriage license could be set at one fee for marriages that may result in biological reproduction of citizens, let us say $100, so the very poor would have to save up to jump into the mix, and if the state determines no biological reproduction could directly result from the union due to same sex partners, then the fee should be say $10,000.

Oh, but it is unfair and a tax on the gay community. Well tell that to the smokers, the drinkers, those that buy expensive yachts and park them in other states to avoid punitive state sales taxes. The gay community pays the same tax as the community at large until they self identify by marriage, then some of the costs can be shifted to those who have benefited from Aids research and other public health costs they have a responsibility to reimburse the public tax trough.

I do not wish to be labeled a homophobe, because I do not think I have given it much thought, but if the majority of the society feels gay marriage is morally wrong in one state, then that state can accept it if forced to do so but can, through taxation, make the best of a bad situation and a gay marriage tax seems to be the most logical response.

But Jack what to do if the state where they married was a low marriage license state and they move to a high state marriage license fee? Simple, do not recognize it as legal until they pay the tax in the state. Same for traditional marriages, but at the lower nominal fee. Can't get a drivers license without having paid the tax if your are married. Or Vote? State income tax forms may have a line about this as well.

This is America and you have to pay to play.

The Gay Marriage Tax an idea whose time has come.

Some have complained about the Marriage Penalty encoded in the federal tax statutes for decades, it is still there.

Jackson Delano Maybolt, President Urban Poverty Law Center