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More 2020 tax refunds go out today for 336 local taxpayers in batch #3

ASG Treasurer Malemo L. Tausaga
Batch#3 being released today, batch #2 released last week, Friday
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The third batch of refund checks for tax year 2020, of more than $660,000 — for those who qualify for refunds — is scheduled for release today, Friday, while batch #2 for tax refunds, was released last week Friday — although there was no official ASG Treasury Department announcement at the time.

But Samoa News notes that American Samoa was under a tsunami warning the morning of Mar. 4th — last week Thursday — and by 12:30 that day, the governor directed all ASG offices closed for the rest of the day. However, those expecting refunds, were surprised to find refund checks in their mail boxes, and word quickly spread, with the help of social media.

In a statement yesterday morning, ASG Treasurer Malemo L. Tausaga said that batch #3 for tax refunds — for tax filers who filed between Jan. 28th and Jan. 29th — is being released today, Mar. 12th. And those with mailing addresses will receive their checks in the mail.

Taxpayers without mailing addresses can pick up their checks at the Treasury Disbursing Office on the ground floor of the A.P. Lutali Executive Office Building. A total of 336 taxpayers are covered in this batch.

Of the total of $665,948 in tax refunds, $228,065 is paid from locally collected funds and $437,883 is from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), which is funded by the US Internal Revenue Service.

Malemo also said that a total of 239 tax refund checks were released Mar. 5th for those who filed between Jan. 26th and Jan. 28th. Total for batch #2 was $366,306 — with $108,890 in local and $257,416 in ACTC.

There was no explanation as to why ASG Treasury didn’t issue an advance notice last week Thursday for the release of batch #3.

Tax payers picking up their tax refunds at the EOB are reminded by Malemo that, “We’re still operating under COVID-19 state of emergency declaration, therefore social distancing and [wearing] face masks are highly encouraged.”

If you are expecting a tax refund and did not receive it, visit the tax Office and have the following documents on hand so that the Tax Office can provide service expeditiously:

•     copy of your tax return

•     a valid form of identification

•     social security card — and also for the spouse if married filing jointly.

Today’s release of batch #3 brings a total of more than $1.80 million in new money into the local economy.

As word of today’s tax refunds made its way through the coconut wireless, tax payers have raised the new popular question — “when do we get the new $1,400 stimulus check” — after US President Joe Biden signed into law yesterday the federal government’s $1.9 Trillion relief package — which includes provision of the stimulus payment. (See yesterday’s pdf of Samoa News for details)

ASG officials said yesterday that an official announcement will be made in due time, ASG Treasury will be coordinating and working with US Treasury and the IRS — as in the past two rounds of stimulus checks.