New Mexico Gay Married Couples Ready for Tax Time

Some same-sex couples in New Mexico will get to experience for the first time what married couples go through every spring - sorting through joint tax returns.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that this year married gay couples will be able to file jointly.

Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefanics and Linda Siegle, a lobbyist for Equality New Mexico, say they are happy about filing jointly because it will mean a bigger tax refund.

They were the first same-sex couple to get a marriage license in Santa Fe County.

The federal government has said all same-sex couples' legal marriages will be recognized for federal tax purposes.

The New Mexico Supreme Court decided in December it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.