Washington state legislation is redrafted to include language enveloping domestic partnerships.

This new campaign, Initiative 1077, is an attempt to tax the earnings of couples making more than $400,000 per year. Consequently, it would also effect individuals earning more than $200,000 per year.

As domestic partnerships are not legal marriages, gay advocates are concerned that this tax would unfairly affect them. Instead of only paying extra if they combined make $400,000, they would be taxed on individual bases. If one of the individuals in the domestic partnership makes $200,000 or more, he or she would be taxed.

“You would have seen gay and lesbian families paying significantly more taxes than their similarly situated heterosexual peers,” said Josh Friedes with Equal Rights Washington to Seattle Pi.

While the issue is debated and legislative language either is or is not altered, advocates for this change say it would raise approximately $1 billion per year for education and health programs.

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