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Uncle Sam wants you -- for a refund
By ALICIA CALDWELL, Times Staff Writer
Here's something you don't hear every day: The Internal Revenue Service is trying to give people money. Nearly 124,000 Floridians who were owed tax refunds failed to file returns in 1999, leaving the government with $195-million in unclaimed refunds, according to figures released by the IRS. Nationally, nearly 1.9-million people are owed more than $2.5-billion. "Basically, the purpose of this is to remind people they have a refund waiting for them," IRS spokesman Michael Dobzinski said. There's urgency to the reminder. To get what's yours, you must file a return for that year by April 15. The IRS offers assurances that you won't be penalized for filing a late return if they owe you money. But there are caveats: You won't get the refund, for Floridians a median $518, if you owe the IRS money from some other year or if you have unpaid child support or federal debts such as outstanding student loans. Florida has the third-most people owed tax refunds from 1999, behind California and Texas. Any 1999 refunds that remain unclaimed after April 15 will be returned to the U.S. Treasury. Many of those owed refunds are people eligible for an earned income tax credit, Dobzinski said. Generally, individuals qualified for an earned income tax credit in 1999 if they earned less than $30,580 and had more than one qualifying child living with them; less than $26,928 with one qualifying child or less than $10,200 with no children. A qualifying child is one who meets age, relationship and residency tests. A complete list of earned income tax credit requirements is available in IRS publication 596. You can learn more about the tax credit, or get current and prior tax forms on the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Taxpayers who need help also can call the IRS help line at 1-800-829-1040. -- Alicia Caldwell can be reached at Alicia@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8145
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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