Kansas says same-sex couples must file their state income tax returns as if each person were single - even if they filed as married on their federal returns.
The state revenue department issued the guidance Friday. It plans to provide a worksheet in its instruction booklet for calculating income, deductions and other data.
The agency says the approach adheres to the Kansas Constitution's definition of marriage. It contends the recent U.S. Supreme Court case upheld the rights of states to define and regulate marriage.
But Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, says tax officials are sidestepping Kansas law.
Witt says Kansas law requires married couples to use their federal filing status as the basis for their Kansas taxes. He wants the governor to rescind what he calls the discriminatory directive.