The Higher Cost of Being Gay: Life, Death, and Taxes

Katharine Graham Conference Center, Urban Institute
2100 M Street, NW, Washington, DC

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Audio Recording

Same-sex couples in the United States face higher costs than their heterosexual counterparts, largely because federal law either precludes or does not require equivalent treatment. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) specifically prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex couples as married. President Obama has pledged to repeal DOMA and to seek the equal treatment of same-sex couples by the federal government.

Join us as we discuss various issues affecting same-sex couples including their higher lifetime tax costs, how the estate tax affects them, and the difficulties older same-sex couples face in planning for retirement.

• Panelists:
• Roberton Williams, Senior Fellow, Tax Policy Center
• Michael D. Steinberger, Assistant Professor of Economics, Pomona College - Presentation Graphs
• Naomi G. Goldberg, Peter J. Cooper Public Policy Fellow, Williams Institute - Presentation Graphs
• Lee Badgett, Research Director, Williams Institute and Director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (moderator)