By Troy Torres
(Tumon, Guam) Department of Revenue and Taxation workers are done processing refunds for those who filed through April 15. They now are working on tax returns filed April 18.
The checks will be delivered to the Department of Administration tomorrow, where they will be audited for the availability of funds. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero announced last week Monday that tax refund checks for those who filed through March 31 would be sent out by the end of last week. Those checks were prepared by DRT Tuesday night and sent to DOA Wednesday morning. Ms. Leon Guerrero held the release of the checks until Friday last week, though not all the checks were mailed.
A second batch of checks for refunds that cover A-status returns filed through March 31 are expected to be mailed tomorrow. It is unclear whether funds are available to pay the refunds for those who filed between April 1 and April 15 this year. It also is unclear how much money in total is owed to taxpayers for the April 1 through April 15 tax refunds, or how many taxpayers will benefit from the return of their money.
Governor’s spokeswoman Krystal Paco has not returned calls or emails for comment.
Meanwhile, as previously reported on Kandit, Congressman Mike San Nicolas introduced a measure in the House of Representatives that will force the government of Guam to pay tax refunds within weeks of filing. His House Resolution 4262 will make it impossible for the governor to hold onto cash that the law earmarks for the repayment of taxes overpaid to the government.
Ms. Leon Guerrero has expressed her frustration with this measure and her opposition to it, citing her perceived attack on the island’s self government.
Mr. San Nicolas has quipped that the notion of self government can be fulfilled if the governor did her job and paid the refunds faster.
No senator has yet to support Mr. San Nicolas’s measure, despite their campaign promises to ensure the timely payment of refunds.
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