21.03.2012
Statement - Senator Zappone calls for Audit of Tax Code
Senator Katherine Zappone called on Minister Brian Hayes to commit to an audit of the tax code to ensure that civil partners and their families are given parity with married couples throughout tax legislation.
In the Seanad this afternoon Senator Zappone welcomed the changes that were included in Finance Bill 2012 in relation to Civil Partnership but highlighted a number of omissions. Senator Zappone went on to ask, “Will Civil Partnership ever be fully equivalent to Civil Marriage in the tax code if omission after omission persists in successive Finance Bills? One could argue that there is a patchwork quilt style approach to changing our tax laws in order to achieve equivalence. It would have been considerably less complex if the State had taken the decision to open the institution of civil marriage to same-sex couples, rather than establish the second-class institution of civil partnership.“