The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Economic stimulus checks to follow tax refunds
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
The economic stimulus package approved by Congress and signed by President Bush on Feb. 13 will send tax rebates of between $300 and $1,200 to most taxpayers.
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However, with economic indicators growing gloomier by the day and the checks not in the mail until May, there is concern that the measure may be too little, too late.
This area's elected officials in Washington responded to that concern this week.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-District 7, said the Internal Revenue Service has its hands full at the moment processing tax returns.
"Sometimes what the politicians do that appear to be simple gets complex when bureaucracy has to be involved," Walberg said.
The IRS will have to process an additional 130 million checks for the rebates, he noted.
"They have to use the same machines as the tax returns, and until we get through April this would put them in a very difficult bind," the Congressman added.
"It's just a bureaucratic issue of how we mechanically get the checks printed, along with tax refunds and Social Security checks."
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, called the stimulus package "an important victory" after the Senate approved the measure Feb. 7.
"This is an important victory for seniors, veterans, and middle-class families across Michigan and across our country," Stabenow said.
"However, this can only be the first step in addressing the economic crisis facing our state and our nation."
Walberg said that he was in favor of a much stronger, long-term solution to the economic downturn that the rest of the country is just now experiencing but Michigan has been fighting for years.
"I supported the stimulus package all along, but I think we need a much more aggressive stimulus," Walberg said.
He introduced legislation that would go beyond the stimulus package and make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, which he said would have a much bigger effect on the economy.
"That's the kind of stimulus that says there is a future," Walberg said.
"That would move us forward better that a one-time fix. We need to add things that have a multiplier effect, and we'll continue to push along that line."
According to Stabenow spokesman Brad Carroll, there are certain details about the stimulus package that people need to know in order to receive their rebate check.
"The vast majority of people receiving a payment only need to file a 2007 tax return as they normally would," Stabenow said.
"The IRS will then do all the rest, including determining eligibility and payment amounts."
Individuals who may not normally be required to file a tax return, including those who receive Social Security benefits or veterans' disability, must file a 2007 tax return in order to receive the rebate check.
The IRS and Treasury Department will work closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and beneficiary organizations to ensure that all eligible individuals know what to do to receive a rebate check, Carroll said.
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