Civil Unions

 ot Taxing  

> continued from page 1

in order to use Schedule Y-I, civil
union ﬁling jointly. _

Abbott says that the-sev
eral test cases she and her associ-
ates have run suggest that ﬁling
as “civil union separate” results’
in either no “marriage penalty” or.
as much as “a couple hundred
dollars benefit” over ﬁling as
“civil union joint,” regardless of
tax bracket. She said that civil
union partners may be escaping
the so-called “marriage penalty”
thanks to the Tax Department’s '
apparent decision to simplify the
forms. There has so far been no
tax beneﬁt to ﬁling as “civil
union joint.”

Asked whether there
might be a political statement to
be made by ﬁling federal tax
returns as “married, ﬁling joint- I
ly,” to push the IRS to recognize

civil"ui’rions‘as -equal to‘ marriage," I

Abbott was cautious: “Trying to
make political statements on tax
returns just doesn’t work. There’s

Absent From Town Meet

 
BY PAT ROBINSON

n yet another attempt to

derail civil rights for gay '

and lesbian Vemionters,
Rep. Nancy Sheltra (R-

Derby) has again taken steps

to gain access to the Select

Boards in Vermont. In a let-

ter—sent out to all Vermont

towns in January, she and six

other state representatives

target what Sheltra calls “the

homosexual agenda in the

public classrooms.” The let- .

ter requested that the town
authorities endorse a non-

no flexibility there. It would
either be returned to you as an
error or it would just bring you
grief’ from the government.
“Unless everybody did it as a
mass protest, nobody would even
notice.” ‘

Abbott also cautioned
that there are new rules for claim-

‘ ing an earned income credit. In

the past, any person with a high
enough income living in a house-
hold could render a parent ineligi-
ble for the credit, whether or not
that income was shared. This
year, the guidelines specify that
the adult whose income “counts”

' toward the credit must either be a

biological relation, or an adoptive
or foster parent. Vennont’s earned
income credit is 32 percent of the
federal amount.
Whatever your ﬁling sta-
tus, call for help if you need it:
the federal tax information num-
bei‘ is ' If-800-229-I‘040;i Verrnont’s
individual income tax assistance
line is 802-828-2865. V

itive mention of homosexual-

ity in schools by school per-
sonnel.

The letter was I
received» in the Brattleboro’s
Town Hall on Jan. 15, 2002,
and according to the Town
Manager’s ofﬁce, was

promptly rejected from being

put on the ballot. '

Sheltra admitted that as of
mid-‘February, after most
towns had published their
town meeting agendas (or
warnings), only two
Windham County towns,
Halifax and Wilmington,

binding resolution asking the
legislature to outlaw any pos-

planned to put it on the town
ballots, and only another 8 to

10 towns, including Barre
and Brownington, had agreed
to put it on their town meet-
ing warnings. Among the
towns declining toconsider
the matter was Derby,
Sheltra’s home town.
According to a report
in the Barton'Chronicle,
Sheltra responded to an
Outright Vermont letter
opposing the proposed agen-

> continued on page 8

Right,

Sheltra targets

“the homosexual agenda”
in her latest missive

I Sheltra Bid To Muzzle Schools

 
Agendas

 
srwrr: or vrr: . ~
nous»: or nzrrimriirigiiivss

IL} A HYRYXY
mar-r-emzx, vr
BGKMIML

Den Selecrhnrrrd:

We are writing to requzsl than the voters of your rurrununiry he given me cpprmunilv Io mtg |&y"""
prubrlxir prurnoricn of me homosexual agenda in llrr public classrooms.

lnn-azry 9. 2002

JAM5 .

it is unlonunzre that we have to deal wirlx this issue. ll 15 wall kn-.~.wn In many mm acme sclnznl
rutlxts and agents within me l‘l":aDii(‘ sclxml systems of our stare at usimr their pmirtous to help

' pmrrrute a homosexual agenda.

Please consider mingrrrg this mu: before your voters.

Language:

Shnil the Vcrrxmm Same Ixgixlattrr: pass lr:;_.-isiuiorr which will rxmlrilrir an employee or aycnr of
1 stnool drsrrlcr {mu encouraging. promoting or sanctioning homosexual urmduru,

Please call I-800-322-ﬁélé with any qunxrmns and ask for Reprcmmnvz .‘~’;u-ccy Sheltra.

Thank you.
' Sincerely. _ ,

2 :§’«=«;_ 31..


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