IRS skips PSAs as way to convey rebate information

Uncle Sam rebate checks --- up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for married couples --- to hypo the economy received extensive coverage in recent days via radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, the Web and word-of-mouth.

In addition, radio talk show hosts, TV commentators and columnists all had a few words to say about the planned infusion of dollars starting in May.

Yet in the current belt-tightening period, the Internal Revenue Service (which eagerly is awaiting your 2007 tax filing by April 15) is spending $41.8 million this month to send out letters to an estimated 130 million households, alerting taxpayers on the expected stimulus.

If the White House and IRS feel another serving of information is warranted, why not go to money-saving public service announcements (PSAs) on broadcast outlets, asks Grumpy Editor.

Those PSAs would make the U.S. Postal Service happy, too, since its workers would be free of the hefty tasks of sorting and delivering those millions of notices containing already widely-known rebate information.

The expensive mailout doesn’t include the tab for another round of mailings for those who didn’t file tax returns last year but still may qualify for a rebate.

Strangely, the “greens” have been silent, despite the many trees that were chopped to provide paper for the 130 million messages and envelopes.