If a married couple file a joint tax return but only one earns and one is a homemaker. Do they both get $600 or does only the earning partner get $600 and the homemaker $0. I have read conflicting reports with no definite answer as of yet.

I think it's $1200 provided your tax liability exceeds $1200.

Of course it's $0 if the homemaker is on an H4 visa - bastards!

Time to stimulate the US economy as little as possible by living on imported marmite and Cadburys. So much for no taxation without representation...

What goes around comes around?

Seriously, I am sorry - that does sound unfortunate.

should someone get a tax rebate if they pay no tax?

I think some do actually.

Yes ..the way I read it ...
I dont work ..but we file jointly and I expect it ...

No !! my MIL who pays no tax appaently will get it ..
though she does have to file a tax form to do so ..

The idea is to get the money into circulation. The best way to do that is to give it to the people who live from paycheck to paycheck. The most likely place to find people who who live from paycheck to paycheck is amongst those that pay least tax.

If it succeeds in kickstarting the economy growth, we will all benefit from that.

If it succeeds.

Last time they did something like this our tax liability was so low that we barely got half the projected amount. Based on that I'm not hoping for anything more than $600 for the both of us.

Remember that even though we are getting this money this year, it will reduce what our refund is next year when we file our 2008 taxes. Bascially it is just giving us our refund early.

If anyone with an ITIN is on the tax form, noone gets the credit, no matter how much tax they've paid. So we pay plenty of tax but don't get the credit. Got to fight those pesky taxpaying illegals though...

Is that specifically in the language for this tax rebate? Last time we only had a ITIN for my DH and we still got a rebate, just was only about $240.

Yup - specifically put into the legislation by the democratic head of the Senate Finance Committee as a bit of election year immigrant bashing.

Well, that sucks then... doesn't really seem fair. At least those couples that don't qualify for the tax rebate will more than likely get a bigger tax return next year then.

This ran in The Oregonian yesterday.. it came out a little different from what I read last week.
HTH

HOW MUCH WILL YOU GET?
Friday, February 15, 2008

Here are estimates for the average federal rebates due this spring 2007
adjusted income Single filers*
Less than $20,000 $464
$20,000-$40,000 $665
$40,000-$60,000 $666
$60,000-$80,000 $645
$80,000-$100,000 $251
$100,000-$120,000 $248
$120,000-$140,000 $0
$1,496 $140,000-$160,000 $0
$1,400 $160,000-$180,000 $0
$180,000-$200,000 $0
More than $200,000 $0

adjusted income Joint filers*
Less than $20,000 $777
$20,000-$40,000 $1,037
$40,000-$60,000 $1,405
$60,000-$80,000 $1,469
$80,000-$100,000 $1,496
$100,000-$120,000 $1,500
$120,000-$140,000 $1,496
$140,000-$160,000 $1,400
$160,000-$180,000 $635
$180,000-$200,000 $266
More than $200,000 $254

*Qualified taxpayers receive an additional $300 for each child
Source: Oregon Legislative Revenue Office



I had previously read that a person needed a minimum income of $3000 to qualify, but it's not mentioned in yesterday's story.

It did say this:

One effect of the stimulus package, for instance, is that taxpayers will wind up paying $54 million more in Oregon taxes because the rebates will reduce the amount of federal taxes they can deduct on their state returns.

So if we claim our child with her ITIN on our tax form we won't get it? That's ridiculous.