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Marriage Is Cheaper In N.Y. - For Now

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By JENNIFER LEE, The New York Times

Published: October 19, 2007

NEW YORK - You can look at it either way. Marriages in New York City start with a $1 discount. Or, domestic partnerships are assessed a $1 tax.

'It's ridiculous,' said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride agenda, a gay advocacy group. 'You pay more for less rights. It's like nouvelle cuisine in the restaurants - less food on a plate, but you pay more money.'

The possibility of a differential, between fees of $35 and $36, has been a quirk in the city bureaucracy since 1998, when Mayor Rudy Giuliani signed into law a bill on domestic partnerships. But no longer.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's office has asked the city's Law Department to work with the City Council and the city clerk's office on a rule reducing the fee for registering a domestic partnership to $35, according to Matthew Kelly, a spokesman for the mayor's office.

Now, at least with respect to the fees, there will be parity.

The reason for the current $1 discrepancy lies in the way the two fees evolved. Marriage fees are subject to state approval, but domestic partnership registration fees are set by the city alone. The city clerk asked the city's Office of Management and Budget to determine a fair fee for domestic partnership registration, encompassing processing and other costs. The result? $36.

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