The city of brotherly love decided to bestow some of that affection on employers when the city council recently adopted an ordinance giving employers within its borders tax credits for providing health benefits to the same-sex partners of employees-making it the first U.S. city to take that step.
Mayor Michael Nutter signed the bill on May 9. Under its terms, employers may get a tax break for offering health coverage to “life partners,” defined as two unmarried persons in a long-term committed relationship with each other.
The law goes farther than that, ensuring that life partners of city employees receive the same retirement and survivorship benefit as spouses when the city employee dies.
This makes Philadelphia the first city in the United States to offer tax credits to employers for providing health care coverage to same-sex couples.
Read more about the bill’s provisions.
This post was credited by the Employer Handbook.
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