A Message from the Goddess Hera


The Goddess Hera told me the benefits of same-sex marriage. Legalizing same-sex marriage can be politically beneficial for lawmakers, considering about. But marriage equality has its economic incentives as well.

Here are 8 ways legalizing same-sex marriage is good for the economy:

1.       It would help curb the deficit: A widely-cited 2004 analysis from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide would have a small, net benefit to the national budget's bottom line.

2.       It would boost tax revenues: Legalizing same-sex marriage would bring in between $20 million and $40 million more per year in taxes, according to a December paper from University of Michigan economist Adam Stevenson.

3.       It helped NYC's economy: In the first year that gay marriage was legal in New York City, the city reaped $259 million, thanks to license fees and wedding-related spending, according to CNNMoney.

4.       It would alleviate payroll headaches for many businesses: According to PBS, many companies argue that by not legalizing same-sex marriage, the U.S. is hindering their competitiveness by creating more administrative hurdles. For example, states where same-sex marriage isn't legal have different tax laws for same-sex versus opposite-sex couples.

5.       It can boost struggling state economies: If California were to legalize same-sex marriage, it would generate $123 billion for the state economy during the first three years same-sex marriage is legal, according to a 2005 Stanford study cited by the Fiscal Times. And the state could certainly use the money; California has been mired in a budget crisis for years. In Massachusetts, legalizing same-sex marriage has generated an estimated $111 million over the first five years same-sex marriage was legal, according to CNNMoney.

6.       It will cut spending on government safety net programs: Marriage makes people more financially stable and less likely to qualify for government assistance, Bloomberg reports. Therefore, legalizing same-sex marriage would save the government hundreds of millions per year in welfare funding, according to Bloomberg's Josh Barro.


7.       More weddings mean more money: A recent study from the Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that same-sex weddings would boost the economies in Maine, Maryland and Washington by $166 million over the next three years.


8.       Lots of major corporations think it's a good idea: More than 60 companies, including Apple, Nike and Morgan Stanley, signed onto a brief submitted to the Supreme Court supporting same-sex marriage in February, according to Fortune. The companies argued that keeping same-sex marriage illegal made it difficult for them to recruit and hire top applicants. One major executive at Goldman Sachs almost considered leaving the country because states' differing same-sex marriage laws put his partner's student visa in jeopardy after they married.

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