At a cost of nearly $42M, the IRS wants you to know....
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
March 7, 2008 4:12pm CST
..."Your check is in the mail!"
Okay, so not only is this "stimulus rebate" that we will be "blessed" with this summer, nothing but an advance on our own refund we get NEXT year when we file 1040's, but it is costing 42 billion dollars to send this letter out saying "Your check is in the mail!"
The letters are being sent to explain how the tax rebates will work. Well, can't they just put this letter in the same envelope WITH the check so a person has both things in their hands at the same time so they know what they are talking about?
Guess I should have titled this "The Most Ridiculous Thing Ever Done"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_go_ot/dear_taxpayer
1 person likes this
9 responses
@dtroas (479)
• United States
7 Mar 08
I believe it is a letter to inform us on how to spend it. Now they do not need to send me one of those that is a waste of time, money and trees. Come on people know what they need to do with there money. I go not need a letter to explain nothing to me. Just let me have the check so I can pay bills, buy me a new washer and dryer set. Unless something else comes about between now and then.
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
8 Mar 08
No, it's a letter telling you why you are getting it - to stimulate the economy. I look forward to getting mine (would rather they do the intelligent thing and just include it with the check itself, but..) it just tells you why you are getting this wonderful rebate, but I wonder if it is going to tell everyone that it is coming out of their refund for next year!!!!!!!
@ebberts (784)
• United States
8 Mar 08
Hi:
I just read your post. Interesting. My son got his letter today and I read it, it didn't say anything about having to pay it back out of next years return. It does however give you the website to get questions answered. I didn't find anything there about repayment. Can you please tell me where you found this information. I would like to read it. I would appriciate it. Money now would be great. But like everyone else we need next years return. irs.gov is where you can find the info. I read. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
21 Mar 08
Do you have the link to this that you refer to? As this article I refer stats, No, it is not a "loan", it is an "advance". You have to deduct what you get this summer from what you should get next year. If you get $500 this summer, and next year when you do the 2008 1040, and your refund is $1,000 - you deduct this summers $500 and you refund you will get next year is $500, not the $1,000. It even says they are reprinting the 1040's to add the line to accomodate this. but hey, if you have additional info, please share!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
9 Mar 08
I posted this week or so ago - here's the link to the discussion
http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1405512.aspx
They aren't going to tell you in the letter that it is from next years refund in this letter. But if you read the article, it definately says - it is "a loan" from next years 1040 and they are even adding a new line to the forms (didn't mention the price tag for what it will cost to add a new line and reprint all the forms again!) You figure your refund on the 1040 and then the next line is "how much did you receive in the "rebate stimulus" (or something like that) and you put that amount of this "rebate" check and then deduct it from that refund!
@Fishmomma (11377)
• United States
8 Mar 08
I wish they would just keep the check, as the last time we received one of these checks we paid every single cent back the next year. We used the check to pay bills.
I am upset about the wasting of postage and think of all the ways the postage could have been spent. I'm certain we could all help them spend it better, if they would just listen to us.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
21 Mar 08
I know. Simple, plain common sense says "insert the letter into the same envelope as the check". EVen make one of those letters that have the check attached to the letter and a "tear off here" comment. But a seperate letter to tell people that sometihng is coming and here is why - by the time most get the check, they'll have forgotten why they got it! But the IRS isn't going to do anything for anybody. They are probably thinking they are so inconvenienced by having to do these extra checks that they'll just show Pres Bush -they'll run up the bill elsewhere!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
22 Mar 08
Well slap me into next week! - yes you are so right. What in the world was I thinking! I have a HUGE problem with thinking in a common sense venue. I have to try to curb that inclination!
@Ayannali (63)
• United States
8 Mar 08
Why can't they just have this put on a website and have people log on to the website and read. Or even better...How about have people sign up for a E- newsletter. I am sure it would not cost $42M to do that.
No wonder this administration has racked up $9 trillion in debt!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
21 Mar 08
Yeah, or just include this letter WITh the check itself! That way, because they feel people are so stupid they wont' know why what to do with a check they get, they can tell us what to do with the check that is in our hands... instead of teling now, months in advance that we will get a check and here's what to do with it - it's like saying..remember this..you stupid people!
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
22 Mar 08
The same thing happened to us that live in Alberta, Canada a few years ago. They were giving everyone a check for $400 that year and they sent out letters to everyone about it, first. I don't know what the figure was that it cost them to mail all these letters, but I can imagine it would have to be a lot. There are about 3 million people living in Alberta so you do the math. At 55 cents a stamp that would be a lot of money. Why not just send the letter with the checks explaining why we got the refund, and give us more, to cover the cost of all those stamps. Also, everyone knew the money was coming since it was on the news for a few months before they sent out the letters. Another way to just spend more of our tax money, I guess.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
22 Mar 08
You are exactly right chris - it almost seems like the IRS is saying "we don't want to do this, but Pres. Bush is making us. We don't want to give people money, we want to take it from them! We are the IRS!!!!! So we'll spend this huge amount and say it is necessary to get it to the people - they are so stupid they'll never see the cost coming!"
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
21 Mar 08
No surprise at all. Thing is, it is to little to do much with - I mean, $600 for a single person, might come close to covering rent for the month.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Mar 08
That is on a par with an irs note to me saying I owed them twelve cents they spent twice that much to mail me the notice so I guess they did not really need my twelve cents although I put a dime and two penniesin an envelope and mailed it back so it cost me a stamp plus the twelve cents. they would have been better off to have just waived the twelve cents.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
8 Mar 08
I would say "you're kidding!" but I know you aren't. What a waster of time and money - and they paid a salary to someone to do that! I think that many wouldn't have a much dislike paying taxes if we saw they were being put to good use, but stuff like this...just fuels the flame of disgust!
