Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said today they would force votes next week on adding rebates for senior citizens and disabled veterans and heating aid for the poor to the House-passed economic stimulus package. The move marked a lapse in the broad bipartisan cooperation that sped the stimulus plan through the House, and set the stage for a contentious fight between Republicans who are balking at adding to the bill and Democrats who believe it should be larger. "Democrats have spoken on how this package can be improved," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. He said the measure was still on...

January 30, 2008 Lou Dobbs alert: Illegal immigrants may get rebates In their bipartisan zeal to quickly cut a deal on an economic stimulus bill, GOP lawmakers overlooked something that will certainly inflame the conservative base _ illegal immigrants could receive a tax rebate check from the government.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite touched a nerve with Puerto Ricans on Tuesday when she called them "foreign citizens" in a news release. Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, was complaining about parts of an economic-stimulus package when she referred to residents of Puerto Rico and Guam as "foreign citizens." ". . . The bill sends hundreds of millions of dollars to people who do not pay federal income taxes, including residents of Puerto Rico and territories like Guam. I do not believe American taxpayer funds should be sent to foreign citizens who do not pay taxes. Americans want an economic stimulus...

I haven't heard a peep about this here, so here it goes. In all probability, Puerto Rico residents (I'm not sure about the other territories) will be included in the tax rebates that are part of the proposed federal stimulus package. Puerto Rico workers and employers pay Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment taxes but no federal income tax. Island residents would get their rebates at the same levels as the residents of the 50 states. The funniest part is that the notoriously corrupt current island administration is lobbying hard, and apparently is succeeding, in getting Congress to send them the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic and Republican congressional leaders reached a tentative deal Thursday on tax rebates of $300 to $1,200 per family and business tax cuts to jolt the slumping economy. Congressional officials close to the negotiations said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio reached agreement in principle in a telephone call Thursday morning. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two wanted key members of their parties to sign off on the accord before any announcement. The accord came as the White House said Thursday an agreement was imminent. Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional leaders announced a deal with the White House Thursday on an economic stimulus package that would give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would act on the agreement -- hammered out in a week of intense negotiations with Republican Leader John A. Boehner and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson -- "at the earliest date, so that those rebate checks will be in the mail." The rebates would go to 117 million families, according to a Democratic summary. That includes $28 billion in checks...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Most taxpayers could expect a rebate of up to $600 starting in mid-May under the economic aid plan set to go through Congress within weeks. Couples could get twice as much, with even more for most families with children. All that, however, depends on smooth sailing at the Internal Revenue Service, and the agency already is up to its eyeballs in filings and refunds. economy The Treasury Department says that despite the strains of tax filing season, the IRS will be able to begin delivering the payments within 60 days after President Bush signs the plan into...

WASHINGTON - President Bush backs tax rebates as the best way to stimulate the economy, but will not detail how big they should be, an administration official said Friday. Democratic congressional leaders agree that one-time checks should be in the package, but are working on a broader measure that would also include aid targeted to the poor and unemployed. Bush planned to lay out his position publicly for the first time later Friday, first in remarks at the White House and later at a Frederick, Md., manufacturing plant. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said earlier that Bush also will outline...

With remarkable speed, Congress, the White House, Republicans, Democrats and even the Federal Reserve have come to a consensus on the need for economic stimulus to moderate and perhaps forestall a recession. It seems certain that the final stimulus package will contain a tax rebate. The underlying theory for the rebate idea traces back to the British economist John Maynard Keynes. He believed that spending was the driving force in the economy. It didn't matter whether the spending was done by businesses on capital equipment, by governments on public works, or by consumers -- spending is spending in the Keynesian...

President George W. Bush's administration is considering an individual tax rebate of up to 800 dollars as a short term measure to help boost the sagging US economy, a media report said Friday. The Republican leader was to unveil a fiscal stimulus plan later Friday, amid grim economic news that has united lawmakers and the Federal Reserve chief on the need to revive flagging US growth. The White House has said Bush would propose policies, not dollar amounts, because details of the plan must be hammered out with the Democratic-controlled Congress. "Privately, the White House has discussed its support for...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush told lawmakers on Thursday he wants tax rebates for families and breaks for businesses in a rescue plan for the struggling U.S. economy that could total up to $150 billion. Amid worries that the United States may already be in a recession, Bush held a private conference call with leaders of the Democratic-led Congress and their Republican counterparts. A delicate set of negotiations took place and the president shifted gears from his initial plan to outline an economic stimulus plan on his own. Instead, he agreed to hammer out the details of the...

Like a cash-strapped shopaholic reaching for a credit card before payday, New Jersey is planning to borrow $2 billion to cover expenses over the next few months – including those record-high property tax rebates.  But given the state's financial situation, some wonder if it's a wise move.   The state already owes an estimated $29.7 billion to creditors. Debt service alone is costing taxpayers upward of $2.5 billion a year. And employee pension funds are at least $25 billion behind where they should be to cover projected future costs. Overall, money is so tight that Governor Corzine is looking at...

Former NYC Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik is under federal investigation for possible financial improprieties .....focused on a foundation affiliated with the city’s Department of Correction during Mr. Kerik’s tenure.....Last month, Kerik pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors....Under an agreement that allowed him to avoid jail time and a felony conviction, he admitted accepting $165,000 in apartment renovations from a company accused of having ties to organized crime...... The foundation....came under scrutiny in early 2003..... a former high-ranking Correction Department official was arrested and later pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges, admitting that he stole more than $137,000 from the fund....

What is going on that I can get a 5% rebate on credit card purchases for gas, grocery and restuarants? I thought the fees charged to vendors was only 3-4%. There is a scam in here some place can anyone explain to me how the deal works.

PHOENIX (AP) -- Legislators' latest idea for tax relief is a three-month gasoline tax rebate. House Republicans proposed the rebate in a new bill packaged with 17 recycled budget bills previously vetoed by Gov. Janet Napolitano but reintroduced for reconsideration with changes. The gasoline-tax bill (HB2781) would let people claim a rebate of 10 cents a gallon -- for a total rebate of up to $200 -- for gasoline taxes paid between Memorial Day, May 30, and Labor Day, Sept. 5. Only motorists who drive a lot would qualify for a $200 rebate. For a vehicle that gets 20 miles...

MESSAGE FROM HOWARD KALOOGIAN...and... State Controller Fails to Account for HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of Dollars Dear Friends, We’ve fought a number of battles together to make California and this nation a better place. I am writing to you today about a politician who seems to have forgotten that he works for us – and no, I am not talking about Gray Davis this time. Just like we forced Davis ally, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, to call the special recall election when he was trying to weasel out of it, we now have to compel another state official to...

Forced to Play the Rebate Game By Ed Foster, Section Columns Posted on Thu Aug 14th, 2003 at 09:23:26 AM PDT The problem with rebates isn't just those companies that don't want to pay up. For many readers, the biggest problem is just the fact that they are forced to play the rebate game at all. In a recent weblog entry, I asked readers for feedback on which vendor of IT products was the champ of deadbeat rebates. While there were plenty of nominations, the surprise was how many readers complained about feeling forced to participate in rebate promotions. Rebates...

Oklahoman Editorial: Demos' stimulus plan comes up short 2003-01-08 Still licking their wounds from the November elections, House Democrats were determined to offer a stark contrast to President Bush's $674 billion, 10-year economic stimulus plan, unveiled yesterday in Chicago. Well, they succeeded. The Democratic alternative offered by new Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi could hardly be more different -- and, we think, inadequate. Where Bush's plan is bold and multi-layered, the Democrats' version is small and temporary. Bush's plan focuses on tax cuts for taxpayers -- more than $1,000 for 92 million Americans. The Democratic proposal cuts taxes (a little), even...

Oklahoman Editorial: Demos' stimulus plan comes up short 2003-01-08 Still licking their wounds from the November elections, House Democrats were determined to offer a stark contrast to President Bush's $674 billion, 10-year economic stimulus plan, unveiled yesterday in Chicago. Well, they succeeded. The Democratic alternative offered by new Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi could hardly be more different -- and, we think, inadequate. Where Bush's plan is bold and multi-layered, the Democrats' version is small and temporary. Bush's plan focuses on tax cuts for taxpayers -- more than $1,000 for 92 million Americans. The Democratic proposal cuts taxes (a little), even...

<p>Summer residential power misers will see their bills reduced up to 20 percent.</p> <p>Millions of Californians will be able to shave up to 20 percent off their electric bills this summer by conserving power, under a "20/20" rebate program approved by state regulators Thursday.</p>