SACRAMENTO, CA  --  In a major victory for California same-sex couples Thursday, the state Supreme Court turned down an appeal by county assessors seeking review of a prior court decision which affirmed basic property tax protections for domestic partners.

The justices left intact an October ruling by an appeals court in Sacramento that allowed registered domestic partners to accept or inherit real estate from one another without new tax assessments, SF Gate reports.

A 1979 law specified that transfers of property between husbands and wives at death or divorce, and transfers to children or grandchildren, would not be considered ownership changes and were therefore protected from tax increases.

Domestic partners were granted the same rights under state Board of Equalization rules in 2003 and by a state law in 2005, but several county assessors challenged the tax break in court.

Since no further appeals are possible, the Supreme Court's decision means that these protections are now secure also for same-sex partners.

Equality California praised the ruling. "A surviving domestic partner should not lose the family home because he or she must pay taxes that a surviving married spouse does not," said executive director Geoff Kors.

Last update: 01-04-2008 17:36