Gay North Carolina couple refuses to pay taxes in protest to gay marriage ban
by Matt | January 30th, 2006 |According to an article published by 365gay.com, a same-sex couple in Hendersonville, NC, is refusing to pay Federal and North Carolina State income taxes in protest of bans against marriage for same-sex couples.
According to the article:
Merrill, a 71-year-old artist and gay activist says the protest will involve about million dollars worth of stock sales and income.
“I have no intention of paying Federal and State Income taxes because my same sex partner and I cannot be legally married and receive the same tax benefits as other married couples,” Merrill said in a statement on Monday.
The IRS says it is legally bound by the Federal Defense of Marriage Act to treat same-sex partners as single. North Carolina also has a DOMA…
“By not paying taxes, this is a deliberate act of civil disobedience towards a President that wants to make an amendment to the Constitution to only allow marriage between a man and woman, rather than two people who love each other, and that discriminates against us as full citizens of the United States,” said Merrill.
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Ahhh… Civil disobedience ariseth from the grave. Although this protest is a little questionable and more than illegal, I do think it will make a point. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah… I know: It won’t change anything, but like I said it will make a point.
The couple makes a good point too… one that needs to be made: Why should they have to pay taxes to a government that has specifically singled them out and placed them in a second-class citizenship status.
Let’s just pray that this doesn’t backfire on them… we don’t need a 71 year old in prison on federal or state tax evasion, lol.
Technorati Tags: gay, lgbt, gay rights, marriage equality, taxes, protest, hendersonville



Matt, 21, is an LGBT activist and youth advocate working mainly within the cities of Greensboro & Winston-Salem and the State of North Carolina. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14, now currently serving as the Executive Director/Co-founder of Activate! - The North Carolina Advocacy Coalition.
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