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| Serving Callaway County communities since 1875. | www.fultonsun.com | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 |
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IRS reminds veterans, retirees to file for economic stimulus checks By ROGER MEISSEN The Fulton Sun
Anyone who hasn't filed taxes this year could miss out on up to $1,200 they could receive after Congress approved last spring's Economic Stimulus Package. The Internal Revenue Service wants to make certain that no one misses out on this money if they should receive it. “There are 113,000 potential recipients remaining in Missouri who haven't filed taxes that we think would qualify,” IRS spokesman Michael Devine said. “Many are elderly or veterans who might not be in the habit of filing, don't believe the government gives away money or thinks it's some kind of a scam. “We're trying to let them know it isn't and all they have to do is fill out a simple 1040A tax return.” Some veteran's might not be clear what qualifies as income. “Income that comes from the Veteran's Administration for disability is tax free on the state and federal levels,” said Jessie Jones, state adjutant for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “If they've just got Social Security and that or only disability, they wouldn't have a need to file except for the stimulus check and might not think of that as income. “If you look at it from a retiree perspective, if they are in poor health or in nursing homes and other places where they really are not up on the news or have some sort of dependent taking care of their financial matters, they probably wouldn't know to file or recall how to do it,” Jones said. “The IRS certainly publicized a lot when they started sending out the checks, but the news just dried up on it after that.” Nationwide 5.2 million recipients remain who likely would qualify for an economic stimulus check. Checks range from $300 to $1,200, depending on income and the number of dependants. Devine said most of those left are retirees, especially in Missouri. “Of the 113,000 that we thought were still left, about 95 percent of those were Social Security recipients, not veterans,” he said. “It's reaching grandma and grandpa who haven't filed a tax return in 10 years and they just haven't heard about this. “We want to make sure they can get at least $600 if they just file a simple tax return.” The deadline for filing is Oct. 15, and tax forms and information can be found at http://www.irs.gov. |
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