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Get Your Telephone Excise Tax Refund: It's Your Money
The IRS has a $10 billion tax credit for 140 million Americans. But the deadline is April 17th - unless you file for an automatic extension.On May 25, 2006 the U.S. Treasury Department decided to stop fighting successful litigation over a federal excise tax on long-distance service first imposed on wealthy people owning telephones to help pay for the Spanish-American war in 1898. Then the IRS announced a refund of these taxes paid over the past three years.
You have to check a clearly marked box on your 1040 income tax return (line 7) to receive between $30 and $60 depending on the number of dependents. If your income is so low that you do not have to file any income tax return (estimated to be 15 million households by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities), there is a special Form 8913 or another new form, 1040EZ-T.
Depending on your taxable income situation, simply checking the box next to the description "credit for federal telephone excise tax paid," will either reduce the taxes you owe or increase the refund due you.
Sounds simple, right? Not for about one third of the taxpayers who filed, but neglected to check, as of February 16th, according to the IRS. That meant over 10 million taxpayers did not request the telephone refund. Even more remarkable, the Maryland IRS office reported on March 27th that only one in three of those from Maryland filing federal tax returns to that date claimed a refund.
Even though the IRS initiated a media campaign to get the word out about the refund program, and even though nearly half of all tax returns are prepared by commercial preparers like H & R Block, it looks like billions of dollars will not be refunded by the coming deadlines.
Presumably the additional $10 billion slated to be refunded to businesses and non-profits will have a higher percentage checking the special box on their returns.
The IRS announcement has been conveyed through numerous large and small newspaper, magazine and radio-television outlets. But in today's multi-media fractured environment, it takes a lot more trumpeting and a lot more repetition to get through daily information blizzards.
Then there is the bad news syndrome. A few days ago I called up ABC television's "It's Your Money" office. The researcher told me that those in charge of selecting topics turned down the telephone excise tax story. As you may recall, "It's Your Money" has been on ABC television news for years both exposing government and corporate waste of your money without finding a way to get you involved in stopping these takeaways.
Well, now with the perfect example of "It's Your Money" and a simple way for you to get some of your money back, this segment apparently felt that such yawning good news would not sufficiently grab or retain audience share against the other networks.
Nonetheless, one would think that fast word of mouth over the past months would have reached most people. That assumes people talking with one another - not a sure assumption during these days of watching screens and listening to your choice of non-stop music.
It is still not too late for numerous blitzes. For example, churches in low income districts, members of Congress and state legislatures, national television comedians (Jay Leno and David Letterman) and talk shows making light but still reaching people with the message can all help spread the word.
There are many highways to many people. Trade associations notifying their company members to notify their employees; labor unions have ready contact with millions of customers. So do bookkeepers and accountants. Strange that there is even a problem.
After April 17, what can be done with the leftover unclaimed billions of dollars? As of now, they're probably going back into the general budget.
What about taking this money and creating a perpetual taxpayers' watchdog endowment trust whose income will expose and help stop government waste as well as businesses and others ripping off the government, such as the health care industry cheating Medicare and Medicaid? Something for Congress to consider.
For now, you can get information about the refund by calling IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-1040. Or just remember to check the claim box on one of the following-Line 7 of Form 1040, Line 42 on the 1040A, Line 9 on the 1040-EZ, Line 69 on the 1040NR, or Line 21 on the 1040NR-EZ.
Enjoy!
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14 Comments so far
Show AllTo: cdgreg52
That's lame and you know it.
Maybe if YOU and Gore's other supporters had campaigned harder for your man. May be if Gore had actually expressed the ideals of the democratic party during the 2000 election. May be if Gore had actually picked a running mate that was not part of the war machine. May be if the democratic party leadership was not bought by the corporations. May be if the two (or one) party system were not a scam. May be if Clinton had not gotten involved with an intern. May be if Clinton had not embargoed and bombed Iraq but instead used diplomacy and helped Iraqi social movements to develop and post Bathist strategy and peace agenda. May be if US citizens thought about who they were voting for.
Nader was the only one who was telling it like it was. Gore's selection of Lieberman as VP is enough evidence for me to conlcude that he would likely have invaded Iraq had he been elected.
Mr. Nader,
Thank you so very much for your continued citizen advocacy! I WILL do my part to tell any and everyone to "check their box", if only to make a point!!! By the by, I loved "An Unreasonable Man", and believe it should be required viewing for the nation.
Hey Ralph . .
Please don't run in '08. Had you not tried so hard, and as I recall somewhat arrogantly in 2000, this whole Bush nightmare may well - probably not - have transpired.
If I hear one more of these clowns blaming Nader for the quagmire in Irag, I'll vomit and sell it on eBay.
Seriously, there are many more compelling reasons that Gore failed to win the election in 2000. Most notably is the Electoral College, yes Gore actually won the popular vote! But hey, lets take the easy way and blame Nader, lets play the Republican's game of petty character assassinations to achieve our political will.
And what exactly was so arrogant about Nader's campaign in 2000? Was it his progressive platform? Or was it his attempt to gain, for the Green Party, federal funding so that we may grow a third party, a contrarian voice in Washington?
Thanks again, Ralph.
And yeah, Gore really won; even the NYT reported in the back pages when the recounts were finally done.
So, it wasn't Ralph's fault.
Even if Nader was a spoiler, he had every right to run. This is America, and he was clearly the candidate who had the best interests of the America people in mind. Besides, we all know that Dubbya REALLY got into The White House via election hanky panky down in Florida and Ohio and was then handed the presidency by the Supreme Court on a silver platter.
As far as the telephone excise tax, I done forgot. :( Already did my taxes. Sorry.
Ralph,
Lot's of folks are talking about the $30-$60 phone tax, cum "1892 war tax", credit. Few know that for this year and next we can get a $500 tax credit for home improvement that impacts energy efficiency, e.g., new boiler or water heater, roof, or storm windows, etc.
Let's get the word out on that as well.
I heard about the phone tax refund from word of mouth by a family member. My local papers never had a word about it, so I wonder how serious of an effort was made to inform the public. Mr. Nader has had my vote twice now, and I do not in any way feel guilty for Bush getting in. The American people had an opportunity to elect a decent, fair man, who would have inspired real positive change.
Ralph Nader does it again!--News we can all use--way to go!
Roberto--
Allow me to add one more "maybe" to your list:
Maybe if Al had done something other than roll over and play dead after the 2000 election was deadlocked he might have been President. I still rememeber how he as presiding officer of the Senate refused to allow any motions challenging electors to be entertained. More than anything else that screamed "the fix is in" to me.
Too bad you have to file income tax forms to get the refund. Some will likely miss out because they can't bring themselves to send another penny to this kleptocracy. But if you're getting a refund anyway, go for it!
Pretty useless to notify us on April 8th. My return has been in for a few weeks.
Thanks Mr. Nader for the tip on voting against war in a small but significant way.
Some of you guys should consider that we need to change the election system so that in the end it is a contest between two people, not three or four, or even two groups of fundraisers. In this most f'd up nation of ours, when people vote for a presidential candidate they're voting for an artificial/false image that's been created by public relations firms and their masters of spin. If everyone knew the truth about the candidates, everyone would vote for Dennis Kucinch.
A couple more election 2000 maybes:
Maybe if Gore hadn't lost his home state.
Maybe if Gore had taken up Nader's offer prior to the election to throw his support to Gore if Gore would include a few progressive planks in the Democratic platform. Gore refused.
Gore cost Gore the election.