Same-sex weddings would bring in about $94 million annually to Maryland, revenue that would contribute to a net benefit of $3.2 million, according to a study.
Same-sex marriages were examined through the eyes of a “fiscally conscious policy-maker,” said Lee Badgett, research director of the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and an author of the study released Wednesday on the economic impact of allowing same-sex couples to marry.
Often, politicians question whether the state can afford same-sex marriages, because benefits costs could rise, but Maryland?s study and those in other states show these unions can mean a budget boost, she said.
The study looked at the effects of same-sex marriages on wedding revenues, expenditures on benefits, such as Medicaid and Social Security, health and retirement benefits, and marriage-license fees.
Income tax revenue would decrease slightly, health benefits costs would increase, and some revenue would be lost from transfer taxes, the study shows.
But these costs would be balanced by a decline in spending on benefits programs such as Medicaid, because the spouse?s income would be included in the eligibility, the study states.
And then there?s the cost of the ceremony.
In-state and out-of-state couples would spend about $94 million on venues and lodgings per year, among other expenses, for at least the first three years, according to the study.
“That?s money for the businesses of the state, and it also generates tax revenue,” Badgett said.
The study will provide leverage in January for activists pushing civil marriage legislation, which would remove the gender prohibition in Maryland?s marriage law. The state Court of Appeals upheld a ban in September on same-sex marriage, but didn?t preclude legislators from addressing the issue.
“We will use this with legislators, giving them yet another reason to support this bill,” said Carrie Evans, policy director at gay rights group Equality Maryland.
BY THE NUMBERS
» About 7,800 of Maryland?s same-sex couples would marry if given the right.
» State spending on public benefit programs, such as Medicaid, would be reduced by up to $1.5 million.
» Spending on health benefits would increase $435,000.
» Marriage-license fees would generate $273,000, which would cover administrative costs.
SOURCE: “The Impact on Maryland?s Budget of Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry,” by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law
