Sunday, August 22, 2010

Via 365 Gay: Germany considering income tax equality for gay couples

(Berlin) Germany’s justice minister says she is considering changes to income tax laws to iron out disadvantages for gay couples.
 
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told Thursday’s edition of the Muenchner Merkur newspaper she thinks homosexual legal partners should be granted income tax breaks similar to those enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.


Germany’s highest court this week ruled that gay partners are entitled to the same inheritance tax privilege as heterosexual spouses. A decision on income tax rules is pending – a touchy issue as the constitution privileges marriage.

Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger says the government shouldn’t wait for the court’s decision as the direction of its rulings is clear.

Today's bilingual Double Post Quote:

Talvez, o meio da estrada (ou, meio caminho andado), é assegurar que as pessoas acreditem naquilo que elas fazem. Mas, acima de tudo, o que é mais motivador, mais valioso e mais poderoso para que nos tornemos conscientes de nossas responsabilidades, é saber que os outros acreditam em nós. Não há palavras que descrevam como nos sentimos sobre os sacrifícios que foram impostos àqueles que creram, não somente em nós, mas naquilo que nós cremos.

Perhaps the middle of the road (or the half way point) is to have people believe in what they do. But above all, what is most motivating, most valued and most powerful in making us conscious of our responsibilities, is to know that others believe in us. There are no words that describe how we feel about the sacrifices imposed on those who not only believed in us but believed in what we believed in.

- Albert Einstein