German court gives tax benefit to gay couples

CNN:

Germany's constitutional court has strengthened the rights of gay and lesbian couples, giving them a same tax benefit as heterosexual married couples.

The ruling, which came Wednesday, comes as the country is mired in an escalating debate on the status of homosexual partnerships.

The court ruled that gay couples who have entered into a "registered partnership," the German legal phrase for relationships similar to marriage, must be exempted from the country's land transfer tax just like straight married couples, according to a court news release.