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May 1, 2008
DEJONGH: GOVERNMENT RECEIVES FUNDS TO PAY STIMULUS REBATES; FIRST CHECKS TO BE ISSUED ON MAY 12 Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. said Thursday that the Department of Finance has received the $41.5 million dollars from the U.S Treasury Department which represents the funds to pay out economic stimulus rebates in accordance with provisions of the Economic Stimulus Plan of the Bush Administration. "The monies were received on Wednesday and both the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Finance Department are working aggressively to establish a schedule for payment of the rebates to V.I. taxpayers," deJongh said. Bureau of Internal Revenue Director Gizette Thomas on Thursday projected that residents will be receiving rebate checks on the week of May 12, 2008. "The government will issue 3,000 checks at a time based on the date the 2007 tax return was filed. We are hoping to have the majority of the rebate checks in the mail by the end of June. Thomas also said Thursday that V.I. residents have until October 15 to file their income tax returns and receive a rebate check in this calendar year. She pointed out that after October 15, any taxpayer filing a 2007 income tax return and eligible for a stimulus rebate would not be receiving the rebate check until they file a 2008 income tax return. Recipients of Social Security or disability benefits, veterans and disability benefits are also eligible for a rebate under guidelines of the economic stimulus plan if their benefits exceed $3,000 per year, Thomas said. In the meantime, Thomas and DLCA Commissioner Kenrick Robertson have issued a caution to residents of the territory to beware and avoid falling victim to an economic stimulus rebate scam. "Reports indicate that an e-mail is being circulated which purports to provide taxpayers with an expedited means of obtaining their rebate checks from the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mail message attempts to convince users to follow a link to a website before a deadline in order to expedite the rebate process. The website then requests the user to provide bank account information," Thomas said. Robertson advised all residents to avoid this latest scam which is aimed at defrauding residents. Thomas reminded taxpayers that "the only requirement to be considered for the rebate is to file the 2007 income tax return with the Bureau." Taxpayers must file a paper version of their tax return at one of the Bureau’s offices. Electronic filings are not accepted by the Bureau. |
