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taxgirl® - tax news, tax info and tax policy

June 20th, 2008

Ask the taxgirl: Rebates and Ineligible Spouses

Taxpayer asks:
Good Morning Kelly, i have a question about the free goverment money that i did not received.
I have a SS, my son was born here , and my wife does not a have a SS yet… But she does have an Itin Number… I do all the taxes every year for us tree… Do […]

By Kelly -- 2 comments

June 11th, 2008

Rebates Push Deficit to Record Highs

The economic stimulus payments - which qualify more or less as “free money” from the government - pushed the federal budget deficit to an all-time high of $165.9 billion in May.
The increase in the deficit includes $48 billion already paid out of the $168 billion planned payments for the economic stimulus plan.
Receipts for […]

By Kelly -- 7 comments

June 10th, 2008

Rebates Being Seized to Pay Taxes Owed to States

Although the IRS website was careful to note that the rebate checks would be withheld to satisfy federal obligations, checks are being seized by states in order to satisfy past due state income tax obligations.
The seizures are part of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). Under TOP, states may enter into agreements with the IRS […]

By Kelly -- 4 comments

May 21st, 2008

Tax Rebate Checks to be called “Empowerment Rebates”?

Is it true that President Bush wants to call tax rebate checks “empowerment rebates”? Is it also true that President Bush wants to replace tax rebate checks with a pair of tickets to the Tony Robbins seminar, Unleash The Power Within?
No, of course not. But that doesn’t keep Mark Jabo at Biz Levity […]

By Kelly -- 1 comment

May 17th, 2008

TurboTax Responds to Customers Regarding Tax Rebates

A reader just passed along this letter from Bob Meighan at TurboTax that several folks have apparently already received:
Dear Valued Customer,
We want to provide you with the most up–to–date information about the tax rebate to which you may be entitled.
Recently, you may have received a letter from the IRS advising you when to […]

By Kelly -- 3 comments

May 16th, 2008

IRS Admits Thousands of More Errors in Rebate Check Processing

And just when we thought the IRS had a handle on things… After admitting that 350,000 taxpayers were underpaid on their tax rebates because of an omission of the child tax credit, the IRS has another mea culpa: they’ve been misdirecting tax rebates to the wrong accounts.
According to an article in Newsday, an […]

By Kelly -- 3 comments

May 15th, 2008

IRS Admits “Human Error” in Processing Tax Rebates: Child Credit Omitted

So, it turns out that I was wrong.
But the IRS was more wrong.
Way wrong.
It turns out that up to 350,000 households did not receive the $300 per child owed them as part of their economic stimulus rebate payments. The IRS blames “human error” and “computer glitches.” According to the IRS, taxpayers are to […]

By Kelly -- 12 comments

May 15th, 2008

Will Failure to Advise Taxpayers About Rebates End in a Lawsuit?

I’ve received a number of emails from angry taxpayers who allege that third party preparers like H&R Block and tax software developers like Turbo Tax failed to properly advise that certain kinds of transactions (such as refund anticipation loans or paying filing fees from tax refunds) would result in a paper check versus direct deposit […]

By Kelly -- 12 comments

May 14th, 2008

Scams, Schemes and Tomfoolery: Be Careful With Your Tax Rebate!

I’ve posted before that there are NO plans in Congress to distribute monthly stimulus payments or rebates or bonuses to taxpayers.
Nonetheless, I continue to receive emails from concerned readers about ads touting such a plan (I’ve seen one myself). These ads are the product of private companies: this information is NOT from the […]

By Kelly -- 2 comments

May 12th, 2008

Overwhelming Majority of Americans Cynical About Tax Rebates

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that the so-called economic stimulus plan - largely consisting of tax rebates - will not boost the economy. According to a poll conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp., a whopping 82% of Americans believe the stimulus package won’t work. This is up sharply from 70% of Americans who […]

By Kelly -- 26 comments