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Email: Kansas not accepting tax returns from same-sex couples UPDATE

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback’s office says same-sex couples in Kansas who were married last year after the state’s ban was struck down in November can file joint taxes for the 2014 tax year.

Brownback spokeswoman Eileen Hawley said Tuesday that same-sex couples who filed for an extension on their 2014 taxes or want to go back and amend their taxes may file jointly.

The Wichita Eagle reports the Kansas Department of Revenue said Monday that couples would be able to file jointly for the current 2015 tax year. Hawley says the agency reviewed its policy and confirmed that gay couples also will be able to file jointly for 2014.

Equality Kansas executive director Tom Witt hailed Tuesday’s announcement, saying married couples should be allowed to file their taxes as married.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An email from a Kansas Department of Revenue official says the department hasn’t started accepting joint tax returns from same-sex couples, despite earlier comments from the attorney general’s office.

The Wichita Eagle reports Monday that Richard Cram, policy director for the Revenue Department, said in an email the department’s waiting for instructions from Gov. Sam Brownback’s office before accepting joint tax returns from same sex couples.

Cram said he’s hoping for instructions from the governor’s office early this week.

Two assistant attorneys general argued in a legal brief last week that a federal lawsuit against the state should be dismissed because state agencies are recognizing same-sex marriages.

Jeannine Koranda, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Revenue, would not clarify whether joint tax returns are currently being accepted in Kansas.

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