Today President Bush signed the HEART act, enacting it into law. Read more...
May 22nd - Senate passes HEART Act
The Senate passed identical reform to what was passed in the house, clarifying that active military who file a joint tax return would be eligible for the stimulus rebate payment even if the spouse does not have a Social Security number.
H.R.6081
Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008
SEC. 101. RECOVERY REBATE PROVIDED TO MILITARY FAMILIES.
(a) In General- Subsection (h) of section 6428 (relating to identification number requirement) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
`(3) SPECIAL RULE FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES- Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a joint return where at least 1 spouse was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States at any time during the taxable year.'.
(b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if included in the amendments made by section 101 of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008.
More information at:
Reform the Rebate!
OUR IMMIGRATION AND TAX LAWS SHOULD NOT CONTRADICT OUR VALUES
Reform the Rebate: Stop Penalizing Law Abiding Spouses Campaign -- is made up of US citizens, legal permanent residents and others who obey the law, who are outraged at the abuse of American values reflected in both our immigration and our tax laws.
For example, the Stimulus Package that will send most Americans a check in the next few weeks, was written to EXCLUDE the US citizen or legal permanent resident who obeys the law by remaining separated from a spouse abroad. BECAUSE WE OBEY THE LAW, we cannot get the rebate that we paid for unless we essentially deny our marriages by filing as if we were single.
And it gets worse: those of us who filed as if we weren't married this year, lose the right to file jointly for an indefinite time.
In other words: CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT DO NOT RESPECT IMMIGRANT MARRIAGES, even if they involve US citizens and legal permanent residents.
So -- we're doing something about it. Join us -- Reform the Rebate: Stop Penalizing Law Abiding Spouses Campaign -- as we work, along with American Families United, through grassroots organization and EFFECTIVE advocacy in Congress, to right this wrong.
Please click the links, send us email, and join our cause.
