Google Gay and Lesbian Employees to Get Health Benefit Taxes Reimbursement

Employment and Labor Law (Federal News) July 1, 2010

New York – Gay and lesbian employees of search engine giant Google are set to receive reimbursement following announcement of its new policy to address the disparity in the implementation of workplace health benefit taxes for same-sex and heterosexual couples who worked in the company. The announcement was made in a blog posting on its website.

Google said they will compensate the employees for “the extra money they pay the federal government each year”, which will be given through a separate sum and not as a form of an increase in salary.

The law mandates that employer-provided benefits for domestic partners are counted as taxable income, assuming that the partner is not a dependent.