It looks like those kids are finally going to be paying off, thanks to the tax rebates approved by Congress recently and the president this week.
Married couples will receive up to $1,200 and there’s the potential to get an additional $300 per child.
I’m not exactly sure how much my family will receive because there are a number of factors involved, such as income level, but I will accept the gift without hesitation. My kids are worth much more than $300 each, and they certainly cost much more than that to feed, water and clothe. But just like beggars, taxpayers can’t be choosers.
This must be an election year – the government is actually giving money back to us in an effort to stimulate the economy (and maybe buy some goodwill from voters, who love economic stimulus packages).
There are dozens of columns online that talk about how best to spend the rebate. “Invest in your future;” “pay down credit card debt;” “pay for car maintenance.” Good ideas, all, but we San Benitoites need to put our rebates to work to give our local economy a little economic stimulation (if we had gentlemen’s clubs here, there’d be a joke there).
Here are my suggestions for recirculating your tax dollars:
n Try to spend your entire rebate within the borders of our county. That may seem limiting, but we can travel south and spend a day at Pinnacles National Monument or visit some wineries. We can head west and enjoy San Juan Bautista’s fine restaurants and shops. We can head downtown and visit the local businesses many of us drive by as we head to Gilroy or Salinas to shop.
n Hire a local contractor for some repair work. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of skilled craftspeople in this community. Because of the sewer moratorium, many of them have to leave the county to work. Use your rebate to upgrade your landscaping before spring. Get that broken fence fixed. Hire a Free Lance columnist to write your kid’s college term paper (not me though – I always hated term papers).
n Give a portion of your rebate to a local nonprofit group or church. You weren’t expecting this money anyway, so why not give some of it to a group that can really use it? Your money can feed or clothe the less fortunate or finance youth group activities. It can help orphaned animals in a shelter or finance a missionary’s trip.
n If you’re not in a do-gooder mood, blow it all at a poker game with your buddies. Just make sure they all live in our county so they are more likely to spread the wealth locally – even if it’s just buying more beer and pretzels.
n Lastly, just do something with your family, even if it’s just taking a day trip in the car. We always complain about our lack of time, and our lack of money just piles onto that excuse.
No more excuses: Invest your windfall in some family bonding time, a tank of gas and a nice meal somewhere. Could there be a better investment than that?
Adam Breen teaches journalism and yearbook at San Benito High School. He is former editor of The Free Lance.
