Professor Ventry Discusses Family Tax Issues at Gender and the Law Conference
Professor Dennis J. Ventry, Jr. presented "Valuing All Taxpaying Families Fairly: Beyond Marriage" at a symposium sponsored by the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law. The symposium, entitled "Valuing All Families Under the Law," was held at American University Washington College of Law on January 26, 2009, and focused on themes identified in Professor Nancy Polikoff's path-breaking book, Beyond (Gay and Straight) Marriage.
Ventry spoke on how current federal tax policy treats different family forms differently; how it rewards traditional married families with tax benefits while subjecting nontraditional married and unmarried families to tax penalties; and how it places special burdens on same-sex families. He also offered a sweeping proposal for taxing all families equally by making ownership of income and property rather than marriage the basis of family taxation.
Professor Ventry is an expert in tax policy, and has written widely on the subject. His special interests include family taxation, legal ethics and professional standards, tax history, tax compliance and administration, and public finance.