Sen. Gregory Bennerson has asked Internal Revenue Bureau director Claudette Farrington for a response to calls he says he has received about the status of overdue tax refunds for 1997 and 1998.
Although refunds from earlier years are being sent to taxpayers from funds generated by the government's recent $300 million bond issue, he said the 1997 and 1998 refunds are "still pending." He said he has learned that tax returns for which "the audits were completed months ago" are "still in audit status."
Further, Bennerson said, "It is my understanding" that the returns for 1997 and 1998 that claim "certain tax credits are being kicked out of the system."
If so, he said, "a solution must be found in an expedient manner."
Bennerson said representatives from Guam and IBM are in the territory and that it would seem prudent for the IRB director and her computer system programmer to consult with them about the issue, which he said affects thousands of taxpayers awaiting closure on overdue tax refunds.
"We are less than two weeks away from the 1999 tax season," Bennerson said.