Rebate checks to be mailed in early December

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005 | 7:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- More than 91,000 Nevadans will be getting an early Christmas present next month as part of the $300 million tax rebate.

David McTeer, who is in charge of the state rebate program, said Tuesday the checks will be sent to senior citizens who had a driver's license in 2004 but didn't have a car registered, and those who registered their vehicles by Jan. 15.

More than 1.8 million rebate checks totaling $271.8 million were mailed in September, and the state is catching up on groups that it missed.

McTeer said Gov. Kenny Guinn would be announcing when the rebates will be mailed, but it will be in early December.

Initially the state estimated it had missed 114,000 people who would be entitled to a rebate. But McTeer said the staff went through the records and eliminated those who might be receiving money.

In the new mailing there will be 77,447 seniors who will receive a $75 check.

These people didn't get any check in the initial mailing because a legal opinion that they were entitled to the rebate wasn't issued until shortly before the mailing.

The rebates were based on those who had registered vehicles. McTeer said a computer review showed that some of those seniors had already received a check.

Also missed in the first go-around were motorists whose registration was due in December 2004, but had a grace period until Jan. 15 to pay. There are 14,083 motorists who fell into this category.

Meanwhile an estimated 96,000 of the 1.8 million checks were returned to the state for a variety of reasons. The car owner may have moved and never notified the Department of Motor Vehicles, for example.

McTeer said so far about 5,000 checks have been reissued in cases where the originals were returned in the mail.

Cy Ryan can be reached at (775) 687 5032 or at cy@lasvegassun.com.