On Thursday, Google is going to begin covering a cost that gay and lesbian employees must pay when their partners receive domestic partner health benefits, largely to compensate them for an extra tax that heterosexual married couples do not pay. The increase will be retroactive to the beginning of the year.
Extending employer-provided health care to domestic partners is usually considered taxable income, meaning domestic partners have to pay about $1,000 a year more than straight married couples in taxes. The Times notes that Google isn't the first company to cover that tax for domestic couples, but that it might inspire its many Silicon Valley competitors to follow suit.
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