Published April 11, 2002
LANSING (AP) - With four days until the April 15 deadline, Michigan is still waiting for nearly half the state's taxpayers to file their income tax returns, the state Department of Treasury said yesterday.
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Among the procrastinators is Gov. John Engler.
"It isn't the deadline yet. They're with my CPA, though," Engler said yesterday. "I don't intend to file them until, hopefully, five minutes before midnight from a remote post office."
Treasury Department spokesman Terry Stanton said the state usually gets 5.5 million returns. So far, about three million have come in and the state is waiting for 2.5 million more, Stanton said.
"That may seem high, but generally a third or more of returns come in the last two weeks," he said. "This is close to normal."
So far, this year's average tax refund is $352.04. That's slightly lower than last year's average of $359.23, but it could grow by the time all returns are processed.
Most of the people who have filed so far have gotten refunds from the state, Stanton said. Last year, 71 percent of taxpayers got state refunds, he said.
A growing number of taxpayers are filing electronically, Stanton said. Around 1.2 million taxpayers used the e-filing option last year, up from 705,000 in 2000. This year, the 1.2 million figure was surpassed in early April. The state expects nearly 1.4 million electronic filings.
"We are very hopeful that we will have a nice increase over last year's number," Stanton said.
The Department of Treasury has been heavily promoting the e-file option, saying it cuts down on the time it takes to get a refund. Taxpayers who file a paper return without errors can expect a refund in four to eight weeks, while those who file error-free electronic returns can get their refunds in one week.
There will be one more chance to file this year for taxpayers who owe taxes that were due before June 2001. The Department of Treasury is holding a tax amnesty period from May 15 to July 1, during which taxpayers can pay delinquent taxes without fear of penalties or prosecution.
The state is hoping to raise between $20 million and $40 million through the tax amnesty period. The state collected $109.8 million during its last tax amnesty program, in 1986.
