Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/11/30/irs-admits-it-sent-some-1200-stimulus-checks-to-non-americans-and-probably-will-again.html
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Did the checks stimulate the economy?
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Good?
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So, only foreign citizens from non-shithole countries?
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There are lots of people legitimately living and working (or were working pre COVID) who are not citizens or green card path. (non-immigrant visas) I was primarily living in the states for about 8 years and I only know my expensive accountant (multi country returns are complex) figured out which years I was a tax resident or non tax resident. I can totally see someone filing the wrong type of return.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but it seems unfair that people living in the states and paying taxes (including social security they will never see) would not be entitled to the stimulus check.
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I absolutely guarantee that the total stimulus amount sent erroneously to non-Americans (or to scammers or whoever else wasn’t entitled) is vanishingly small fraction of the amount that Jeff Bezos’ net worth increased during the time it took for you to read this post.
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Seems like if this is a big concern you flag checks going to foreign addresses for increased scrutiny. The increased scrutiny would probably cost more than just sending them though.
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I mean, so what? There’s going to be a little “spillage” in any massive human endeavor like this. If it still helped huge numbers of people, it was a success.
The problem is that, now that this is being reported on, Republicans will use it as an excuse to prevent sending any more payouts. Perfect is the enemy of done, and imperfection is the Republican tool of obstruction.
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They will clutch their pearls, stamp their feet, whinge about “fraud” and “the debt”, and demand “accountability” (meaning no more stimulus to “undeserved” people, by which they mean anyone who isn’t a wealthy business owner). This is despite the fact that part of the reason we’re in such deep debt in the first place is because of THEIR policies of slashing taxes, but running up spending to kill people in foreign lands.
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Next you’re going to tell me that stories about Welfare Queens are thinly disguised efforts to discredit and undermine the social safety net by playing to our worst prejudices?
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I am envisioning a Venn Diagram where Trumps cabal of players and beneficiaries, are a (supposed to be hidden) subset of Welfare Queens that the GOP is so quick to vilify.
I thought any taxpayer (ie, those people known to the IRS) would get them. Isn’t that the point? Yeah, not ideal to send them to overseas residents, regardless of nationality, But don’t they have computers at the IRS?
I don’t see this as a problem at all.
$1200 is such a marginal number compared to the money and opportunity America has taken from so many people in other countries through either the direct behavior of us invading and bombing them, or indirect actions like our manipulation of world markets, etc.
If we accidentally pop them a couple thousand by accident, it’s perfectly good.
Alternately, any Republican who has gained any money - through bribe or promise for future money - by delaying more stimulus to American businesses these last four months should be imprisoned.
All U.S. taxpayers reading this sentence should have been receiving money to stay at home for much of this, which is both doable in a “war costs money” concept and the real issue, not accidental bookkeeping on a small amount of checks to the wrong people.
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