We were all celebrating during the Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act here at QueerCents because the government’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages meant gay couples were denied more than 1,000 federal benefits that straight couples enjoy. The tax benefits should be reason enough for us to have equal rights and why shouldn’t we since we pay in the same amount in taxes. Although, Now that the justices have struck down DOMA we can look forward to equality under U.S. tax laws but only as soon as the Internal Revenue Service can figure out how to make equality happen. The IRS is struggling right now to do this. The tax agency has promised to ‘œmove swiftly’ to recognize gay unions, but for many couples it won’t be as simple as checking the ‘œmarried’ box on their 1040 according to an article from BusinessWeek.

The IRS, which usually follows states’ definitions of marriage, must find a way to give gay couples nationwide equal treatment.