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Thousands neglect to claim rebates(Danville Register & Bee Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 9--After the Internal Revenue Service reported last month that more than 5 million qualifying Americans failed to claim their economic stimulus checks, the department decided to launch a campaign this summer to reach those who qualified but didn't file. To help local residents, the Building Economic Success Together (B.E.S.T.) Coalition, a project supported by the Danville Regional Foundation, will be filing those returns, free of charge, between July 14 and Sept. 5 at various locations in the area. More than 2,500 Pittsylvania County qualifying residents didn't file, said Felicia Cooke of BEST Coalition, leaving approximately $755,100 still to be claimed. She said only about 10 qualifying Danville residents didn't file. In order to get the stimulus check, all a citizen had to do was file their taxes. But people who have no tax liability or filing requirement often got left behind in the process. Most people who didn't get their checks are people who don't normally file, according to the IRS, notably retirees and disabled veterans. Twenty-six percent of that population didn't file. Cooke offered a simple explanation, echoed by many in the tax world. "A lot of the information coming from the IRS was a little conflicting," she said. "It came out late, and then it was harried." BEST is operating under a grant from Pittsylvania County Community Action and partnering with the IRS to provide filing services. The IRS trains and certifies the preparers, Cooke said. She said it's one simple form that they plan on doing by hand. Filing will start next week. Later this summer, the IRS will send out mailings to the 5.2 million retirees and veterans' beneficiaries who are potentially eligible for the return, explaining eligibility and how to file. People not otherwise required to file an income tax return should file a 1040A with basic information to ensure they receive the economic stimulus payment, according to a release from BEST. Not all SSI recipients or veterans will qualify, though, emphasized Cooke. They might not if, for example, they are claimed by a child or someone else as a dependant. About 10 percent of elderly people had been claimed, she said. A release from the BEST Coalition emphasized that it's important that people understand that the check doesn't count as taxable income and will not impact other federal benefits a person receives. Also, filing for the stimulus check doesn't mean that a retiree or disabled veteran will have to start paying taxes again. Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983 Here are the locations and times: Mondays: Gretna Riddle Center 207-B Coffey Street Tuesdays: Chatham Chatham Community Center 508 North Main Wednesdays: Ringgold Cherrystone Association 5551 Tom Fork Road Thursdays: Danville Camp Grove Center 337 Bradley Road To see more of the Danville Register & Bee or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.registerbee.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Danville Register & Bee, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |