Same-sex test case headlines misleading

I WOULD like to draw your readers’ attention to the headline ‘Gay challenge: married couples could face tax hikes’ and the sub-heading ‘Tax changes could cost exchequer up to €2bn a year’ (Irish Examiner, November 10).

I represent the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society in UCC and we find this headline grossly misleading and inflammatory.

The number of cohabiting couples who describe themselves as same-sex is less than 2% of all the cohabiting couples in the country.

The headline implies that it is the same-sex couples who will result in the cost to the exchequer, and not the 77,000 heterosexual cohabiting couples.

At a time in our country’s history when we are fighting desperately for equal rights, an implication of this kind is dangerous and, in our view, positively promotes homophobia.

The fact remains that married couples have a very generous tax system in place at the moment, and this is being denied to gay and lesbian couples.

Unmarried heterosexual couples at least have the option of marrying, but same-sex couples do not.

Dr Katherine Zappone and Dr Ann Louise Gilligan are bringing this case on the grounds that the refusal of the inspector of taxes to recognise their marriage is unjustly discriminatory and in breach of their constitutional rights.

In the event that the 1,300 cohabiting same-sex couples were to be recognised as married couples in Irish law for tax purposes, the cost to the exchequer would be a negligible percentage of the projected €2bn.

We recognise the fact that the substance of the article goes on to elaborate fully on the statistics, but the headline is what people notice and remember.

We would ask you to remain conscious of this in future publications, and also of the possible consequences of homophobic reactions of your readership.

Michael Waldron

Auditor

Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Society

UCC