Poll: More using tax refunds for bills

In light of the upcoming "stimulus package' a lot of us our about to receive, I thought this poll would be interesting to share. Even though this poll is about tax refunds, I have no doubt the the stimulus checks are going to be used for the exact same thing. I know I for one will be using it for debt reduction. So the question remains, how are the stimulus checks going to truly help the economy? I would venture to guess that most are in debt more than they will be getting from the stimulus package.
I must say, this was an easy one to predict when Bush first announced the stimulus package.

WASHINGTON - One in three people say they will use this year's tax refund to pay bills as that nice annual check from Uncle Sam becomes less of a luxury for many people.
Thirty-five percent said they plan to use the money to pay utility, credit card, housing or other bills, an Associated Press-AOL Money & Finance poll showed Thursday. That is up from 27 percent who said so a year ago, in a fresh example of how the ailing economy is affecting many families.
...In the poll, 56 percent said they have received or expect a refund this year, a significant drop from 66 percent a year ago.
...Even so, analysts said if fewer people think they're getting a refund, it might make them less likely to spend money — which would hinder economic recovery.

Link to article

On the lighter side of the economic doom and gloom, if you are getting a refund and/or rebate, what are you gonna do with it?
As for my family, we owe a grand for State and Federal combined so with the stimulus check, we gain only five hundred. Not going to exactly get us out of debt and give us money to just blow on things to spur economic growth.

We owe the IRS , so it goes to paying back the IRS. We still get nothing.

The amount of money they are taking from inflation, is more than what little they are giving us back. They try to make it look like they are giving us something, but they really are not.

I believe that money is ours to begin with, and they are just giving us back a bite of our own steak so to say.

Ama

I'm checking out a big screen TV for my refund. I'm only getting 600 but I'll take it. I'll have to throw in a few more bucks to seal the deal but the tele I have is getting old.

The odd part is I seldom watch television.

I just have this crazy desire to have this giant brain washing monster hovering against the wall on the far side of my living room.

Dear God, perhaps I have gone crazy.

The stimulus is to target the one side of the population that do not pay taxes to begin with.

They are the ones that will spend their stimulus check on anything, but all the hard working Americans that may get something, the money will go for bills and for the increase in gas prices coming this summer.

This is nothing that deceiving tactics of a government that find itself on a hard election year.