Majority of the claimants are nonresident workers from the Philippines and China who were told to rectify discrepancies on their tax returns to be eligible for the federal rebates.
Some of them failed to file their tax returns for tax year 2007 but were hoping that late filing would still allow them to get rebates that range between $300 and $600, depending on their declared income.
The Department of Finance advised claimants there is no specific form to be filled up to get U.S. stimulus rebates.
“All that is required is for the taxpayers to file their 2007 1040 Income Tax Return. The Division of Revenue and Tax will determine eligibility and the amount of the rebate payment,” the department’s notice stated.
Others who filed their income tax returns expressed surprise over discrepancies pointed out by Finance.
“How did they come up with such conclusion? How do they determine how much one should receive?” one of them said.
They were further surprised when Finance asked them to produce their original passport when they first arrived in the CNMI and their current entry permit before their claim could be processed.
“Where will I get my old passport? Don’t they have a system to determine who are legitimate taxpayers,” a guest worker who asked not to be named said.
For many migrant workers whose hours have been cut due to the islands’ economic slump, the U.S. stimulus rebates are an unexpected gift.
“I will pay my bills and buy food,” one of them said.
The U.S. Department of Treasury turned over $16.1 million to the CNMI government to fund the stimulus rebates of approximately 23,000 taxpayers on the islands.
The first batch of the checks — about 10,000 — were mailed last Friday.
Finance said the rest of eligible recipients will get theirs in succeeding weeks.
