Posted on 06/06/2008 5:31:51 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
AUGUSTA — Thousands of Mainers who were expecting a stimulus check from the federal government have gotten an unpleasant surprise. Instead of a check, they received a notice that the money has been seized by the state to pay overdue taxes or some other obligation, including child support.
"As of this afternoon, we have a total of 1,137 stimulus refunds" that were seized, Jerome Gerard, acting executive director of Maine Revenue Services, the state’s tax agency, said Thursday. "That’s a total of $624,000 so far."
Another state agency that benefits from the "offset" provisions of federal law is the support enforcement unit of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is charged with making sure parents pay the child support that has been ordered by a judge. As of May 23, the unit had received nearly $1.2 million from stimulus payments that were diverted from 1,855 individuals, both in Maine and out of state, who owed child support to a Mainer.
"We had estimated we would get about $1.5 million," Barbara Van Burgel, director of the DHHS’ Bureau of Family Independence, said Thursday. "I think it’s clear we will see more than that when the program ends."
Gerard estimated that the number of stimulus refunds seized by the tax agency will at least double by the time the last checks, based on those who filed federal tax returns by April 15, are mailed in mid-July. The Internal Revenue Service will continue to send checks to those who file their returns by Oct. 15, 2008.
"So we will continue to get some offsets for several months," Gerard said. "I would guess the final numbers will be between $1,250,000 and $1,750,000."
He said the state also received money that was destined for direct deposit to the accounts of some Mainers who were scheduled to receive them last month. Instead, they received a mailed notice that their stimulus money had been diverted to pay an obligation they owed the state.
"They have a right to appeal that and I am sure some will," Gerard said. "We always have some that appeal when their income tax refunds are offset."
He said Maine has already issued some checks to correct mistakes in which individuals had met their obligations but still had the stimulus payment taken by the state.
"We always have some timing issues, but they are taken care of," he said.
Van Burgel said one reason the DHHS support enforcement unit is likely to receive more than originally estimated is the federal requirement that a person file an income tax return to get a stimulus payment. She said many low-income Mainers do not normally bother to file a tax return because they have no tax liability.
While more than $1 million is significant to the families who receive the payments, it is quite small compared with the overall child support enforcement effort of the state. Van Burgel noted that last year the state collected $110 million from parents who owed child support.
Gerard said the past-due taxes being collected through the offsetting of stimulus payments is also small compared with all tax collection efforts of the state. He estimated that as much as $65 million in overdue taxes of all types will be collected by Maine Revenue Services this year.
"But it is important to collect what is owed," he said. "This is just one more tool we have this year."
Van Burgel said the collection of past-due child support is crucial to those parents who have custody of children.
"It is one of the ways that families stay above the poverty line," she said. "It is a way that they keep their children clothed and fed. It is a critical program."
Van Burgel said some custodial parents have called and expressed surprise when they received the money from the stimulus offset. She said in these tough economic times with high energy bills, she is happy the parents are getting a little extra help.
Put on your flame retardant undies.
As long as the money goes to the parent/child who is owed, I think this is a good idea.
I never sort out to own that skidder; however, do admit to some skidding on Maine roads come winter.
Am definitely not a Democrat.
Layabout needs to be better defined.
;)
I have to agree. My brother married a girl (big mistake) when he was stationed up. I went up to visit and cried when I got snowed it. Maine was terrible! The airport was the size of a grocery store.
And I’m from Ohio so you know it must be bad!
If men are the ones who are not supporting their children then it's appropriate.
What stimulus checks????
I haven’t seen one. I keep hearing about these mythical objects, but have yet to see one.
forge it..........
Ohio is really awful, too. Worse, at least last year, they were keeping a double system of books - so even if on one set of books you were all paid up, the other might show you as having paid late, and they add up all kinds of penalties and interest......no wonder they threw the Atty. General out of office........
Maine, Ohio
Ohio, Maine
Easy Choice.
Maine !
” Thousands of Mainers who were expecting a stimulus check from the
federal government have gotten an unpleasant surprise.”
Because they didn’t check the irs.gov website for at least the last
three months.
Interception of stimulus rebate checks was spelled out there.
The US guvmint, state agencies and all sorts of organizations are
increasingly powerful in fishing out folks with past debt.
And they snag it without batting an eye!
What bothers me is how on earth someone would challenge a past debt
that still was on the books, even if you’d paid it.
Or it was just entered by error or a computer hiccup.
We never see how many women are refusing to own up to their end.
Lol, sounds like it was a self-stimulate in some cases.
Mostly men, but also some women. Don’t forget that when child support isn’t paid, usually it is the tax payer that picks up the tab. If parents took responsibility for their children, there would be no taxes to intercept!
When parents support their own children, then taxes could possibly be lower, as welfare wouldn’t be needed.
Yeah but many paying parents are tax payers too and it’s not right when payments must be done thru the courts, and charged an administrative fee.
My husband and I were talking about that the other day. We know of no one who has received a check yet.
“BS. Deadbeats that don’t support what they had fun obtaining are not REAL DADS.”
Yeah right. The US is full of vast numbers of “REAL DADS” who have been thrown in jail of faked abuse charges, with phony orders of protection, had their kids maliciously alienated from them, not allowed to see their kids, etc. The ferociously anti-father US family courts are a sick, evil joke.
Not to mention that 20% of the “REAL DADS” are not even the biological fathers on DNA testing; yet still get stuck with child support.
I’ll give you that!
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