Tax refunds

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 10

Tax refunds

Sir,—When my income tax refund finally arrived, after a wait of about nine weeks, I immediately took the cheque to the Treasury Department, where it was issued, to be cleared, as I needed the money urgently and had no bank account In which to deposit it. Upon

r producing the cheque and j proof of my identity, I was i told by the man in the office • that he would not clear it ; for me (I strongly suspect i that he did not like my - appearance, as I have long hair), and to cash it at a , shop. Beside the fact that 11 did not want to buy any- > thing, I was not known well enough by any shops to have ! it cashed. The Reserve Bank I would not cash it as It had not been cleared and I finally - managed to get it cashed at a bank which “bent the rules" f for me. If this is the pro- > cedure you have to go ‘ through to get a tax return , it is little wonder so many people do not apply for one. • —Yours, etc., j P. GIBSON. ' June 14, 1971. [The District Cothmis- . sioner of Taxes (Mr C- K. Jones) replies: “I am un- , able to find a return under the initial given by your cor- , respondent where a refund has taken nine weeks, ■ although in one case it had 1 unfortunately taken six weeks. With the flood of rei turns we have received in the last two weeks I am t afraid refunds will be delayed • beyond the normal time of • about three weeks, although taxpayers can be assured ’ that our staff are doing their , very best and well appreciate the desire of people to - get their refunds as soon as • possible. Where taxpayers do , not have a bank account and are unable to get their refund t cheque cashed, there is proi vision for the cheque to be ; opened. There are formalities of course, such as estab’ i fishing the identity of the f person presenting the cheque, . but your correspondent should have made his api preach direct to this depart»ment, where these formaliJ ties would have been , attended to and arrangeI ments made to open the ' cheque immediately.”]