Nixon signs tax order in favor of same-sex couples

Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order yesterday directing the Missouri Department of Revenue to accept jointly filed tax returns from all legally married couples, including same-sex couples who were married legally in other states.

“Missouri is one of a number of states whose tax code is directly tied to that of the federal government, and under Missouri law, legally married couples who file joint federal tax returns with the (Internal Revenue Service) must also file joint state returns with our state Department of Revenue,” Nixon said in the release. “As a result, accepting the jointly filed state tax returns of all legally married couples who file federal returns is the only appropriate course of action, given Missouri statutes and the ruling by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.”

In August, the Treasury and the IRS ruled legally married same-sex couples would be regarded as such for federal tax purposes, regardless of where they live.

Nixon said the executive order refers only to tax filing status, and does not alter the state's ban on same-sex marriages, according to the release.

In response, Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, slammed the governor's order in a statement cited in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.

“The governor’s job is to defend our state’s constitution — including the constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman that was passed overwhelmingly in this state — not to surrender to the whims of the Obama administration,” Jones said in the statement.