Marriage equality has yet to come to Orange County, but its Property Appraiser wants to ensure same sex couples receive the same tax benefits as their heterosexual married counterparts ““ even if it only affects one employee.
Starting in 2014, Property Appraiser Rick Singh will offer a stipend to reimburse tax collector’s office employees who are discriminated against by the federal tax code’s treatment of domestic partner health benefits.
One employee has expressed a desire to sign up.
Singh is the second Orange County Constitutional Officer to provide this benefit. Tax Collector Scott Randolph announced a similar policy last month, though no one has signed up. Singh’s office would be the first to implement the benefit.
“We want to equal the playing field,” Singh said. “I hope one day this conversation will be a thing of the past, but this is the civil rights issue of our time and it’s the right thing to do to grant these benefits.”
The stipend is not considered salary and will be based on what the coverage the employee chooses during open enrollment in October. Employees must be registered through the Orange County Domestic Partner Registry to be eligible.
