Nationwide Tax Refund Returns So Little

Re the July 24 letter sent in by the reader expressing his disgust with his $77.15 tax refund: My mother is a senior and is forced to work part-time. She filed a joint return with her husband for 2000. She contributed wages and other income to their taxable income. Her husband died last January. The IRS has determined that, as a “dependent,” she is not entitled to any tax refund. Neither is her now-deceased co-filer.

She voted for “Bush the pretender,” expecting help with prescription drugs, environmental improvements and all of the other empty promises. What we have seen are minor gestures and outright reversals of those promises. Rest assured that the $100,000 soft-money contributors and corporations will definitely profit from this puppet administration. The average American who needs the most help will get even less than the pittance promised.

President Bush’s credo must be: “The rich get richer. Who cares how?”

Ted Hendrickson

Irvine

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The immediate tax relief notice is a very obvious political move by Bush and the Republicans to buy votes in coming elections using very scarce U.S. Treasury funds. They reason that no one would kick Santa Claus out the door.

Unfortunately, the price to pay for such politics will be seen in reduced social program spending and further neglect of our roads and bridges.

I believe this tax relief money must be reported on our California income tax form as other income.

John Kishel

Oak Park