Ruralite Cafe: Published 07/26/01

By Lisa Majors-Duff News Editor

Tax relief leaves writer guessing

Lo and behold, I saw it Monday night. There it was. Sitting quietly, calmly in my mailbox. A check from the IRS for $600. And just in time, too, since right at that moment I needed a new washing machine in addition to fewer teeth.

But there's something about the money that doesn't feel quite right. If there's one thing we learn early in life is that you don't get something for nothing. Nobody - not the president of the United States, not our friendly members of Congress - will ever give us, the American people, $600 and not expect something in return, right?

According to CNN, what President Bush wants in exchange for the refund is for "taxpayers [to] spend their refunds to give a swift kick to the sluggish economy."

Without meaning to, I guess that's exactly what I did when I bought a washing machine Monday night. On the other hand, something I also learned long ago is that today's working woman and family of three cannot function efficiently without a reliable washing machine in the laundry room.

So when I pulled my capri pants and a sleeveless sweater out of the washer and found them covered with grease I'd never seen before, I knew I'd be making a trip to my favorite home improvement warehouse, with or without $600 from the IRS. Just like that, our little windfall was injected back into the economy.

Our check, postmarked July 20 from the IRS Center in Memphis, Tenn., was one of 8 million mailed to taxpayers last week as a result of 1) a 10-year tax relief package proposed by President Bush and approved by Congress shortly before Memorial Day; and 2) the last two numbers of Greg's Social Security number.

The plan is proposed to put $38 billion back in the pockets of most, but not all, U.S. taxpayers. Checks will be mailed on the next nine Fridays to those who had at least $6,000 in taxable income for 2000, or $12,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Using these figures, the Treasury Department has estimated it will not be sending checks to about 1 in 4 taxpayers, or about 34 million people. Those who do not qualify for the refund include dependents, non-resident aliens, or those who strictly paid Social Security or Medicare taxes last year.

"I guess you'll be thanking the president," a Cafe patron said when I mentioned the money I found in my mailbox Monday.

"Sounds like legal vote-buying to me," another immediately chimed in.

The two of them were politely asked "to take it outside" when the yelling back and forth began to disturb the regular customers. I think the argument ended in an uneasy truce when the heat on Main Street reached the mid-80s.

I'm still not sure what to think of the money, though I have no immediate plans to return it.

Back to Archive: 07/26/01.