Berlin ( CNN ) -- Germany 's constitutional court has strengthened the rights of gay and lesbian couples , giving them a same tax benefit as heterosexual married couples . The ruling , which came Wednesday , comes as the country is mired in an escalating debate on the status of homosexual partnerships . The court ruled that gay couples who have entered into a `` registered partnership , '' the German legal phrase for relationships similar to marriage , must be exempted from the country 's land transfer tax just like straight married couples , according to a court news release . The verdict comes as Germany 's politicians are generally debating taxation for same-sex couples . Angela Merkel 's governing conservative Christian Democratic Union ( CDU ) has traditionally been against tax equality for homosexual partnerships . But recently , 13 members of the party called for an expansion of tax rights for same-sex couples . The group wrote that it feels it is not acceptable that `` politics time and again has to be ordered by the constitutional court to abolish inequalities . '' Kristina Schroder , Germany 's minister for family affairs and also a member of the CDU , has signaled support for the push , saying , `` the suggestion comes at exactly the right time . In homosexual partnerships , people take long-term responsibility for each other . They are living conservative values , '' she told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung . However , more conservative members of the CDU have voiced concern about the matter , and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said at a recent news conference that he does not see an urgent need to revise the country 's tax laws . Vicious criticism has come from the Christian Social Union , the Bavarian sister party of Merkel 's CDU , which is also part of Germany 's federal government . `` The marriage of man and woman is under special protection because it is fundamentally oriented toward creating new life . This is not the case in homosexual relationships , '' the CSU 's whip in Germany 's parliament , Gerda Hasselfeldt , told ARD television . The third partner in Germany 's governing coalition , the Liberal Democrats , have long been fighting for tax equality for homosexual couples . In a statement on its website , the party says it welcomes additional members of Merkel 's party joining its ranks in the debate . German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle , the former head of the Liberal Democrats , has recently come out as being gay . He lives in a registered partnership with his partner , Michael Mronz . The German government , then under Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder , passed a law in August 2001 to create registered partnerships that gave homosexual couple rights similar to those of married couples . But gays and lesbians still face tax inequalities , especially in the field of income taxes . Germany 's constitutional court also has cases pending against Germany 's current treatment of gays and lesbians in the income tax system .
It emerged as the country is mired in a debate on gay rights . It says couples in registered partnerships should get a similar tax break as married couples . Angela ##k 's ruling party has opposed tax breaks for those in homosexual partnerships .