Facebook is throwing its weight behind a proposed California law that would provide tax equity for the state’s LGBT couples.
AB 362, proposed by Democratic Assemblymember Philip Ting (San Francisco), would provide tax relief for employees who receive reimbursement from their employer for federal taxes they paid on healthcare benefits provided to their same-sex partner and dependents.
The law would apply to those who work for public entities or participating private companies who currently choose to reimburse for federal taxes paid on benefits received for their partners – those like Google and Facebook.
And it’s Facebook that’s the first to public suppor the measure.
“Facebook today announced its support of legislation introduced by California State Assemblymember Phil Ting that would provide tax relief for employees who receive reimbursement from their employer for federal taxes they paid on healthcare benefits provided to their same-sex partner and dependents. Facebook Director of Compensation & Benefits Tudor Havriliuc joined Assemblymember Ting and San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell at a press conference to unveil the legislation. Parity in healthcare coverage is among a host of equitable benefits Facebook provides all of its employees,” said Facebook in a post on its [email protected] page.
“At the heart of this issue is a question of fairness for same-sex couples,” said Ting. “The federal policy to tax their benefits is discriminatory, and the last thing the state of California should do is make it harder to remedy the injustice by taxing the reimbursement of these costs,” he added.
Facebook, as you probably know, is one of the most pro-LGBT companies in tech. Google could also claim that title, as well.