Bush signed the $168-billion stimulus plan, which will give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, more if they have children. Will the stimulus package be the quick boost the US economy needs to get consumers spending again?http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 28 Aug 2008 7:39:41 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33949/obama-calls-for-1000-rebates-to-pay-energy-bills.html?refid=rss_all_defaultBarack Obama unvield an "emergency" plan for the economy today that includes $1,000 rebates for families or $500 for individuals to defray rising energy costs, Politico reports. The money would come in part from "windfall profits from Big Oil," the campaign says. Obama would pump another $50 billion into state governments and the national infrastructure to repair roads, bridges, and schools.http://www.newser.com/story/33949/obama-calls-for-1000-rebates-to-pay-energy-bills.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 01 Aug 2008 11:59:32 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33256/lean-times-prove-taxing-for-state-budgets.html?refid=rss_all_defaultReduced sales, income, and corporate taxes are forcing states to cut back on services and consider laying off workers as they look for ways to slash spending and balance budgets, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Conference of State Legislatures says states face a $40 billion budget shortfall as the US economy continues to wallow.http://www.newser.com/story/33256/lean-times-prove-taxing-for-state-budgets.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 24 Jul 2008 9:20:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/31120/stimulus-boost-seen-how-long-it-lasts-unsure.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe government's stimulus package has worked—for now at least, the New York Times reports. Spending rose 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said today, buoyed by the $50 billion in checks sent to consumers. But subtract the stimulus, and income levels rose only modestly, and wage growth lagged well behind inflation.http://www.newser.com/story/31120/stimulus-boost-seen-how-long-it-lasts-unsure.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 27 Jun 2008 12:55:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/30510/millions-skip-filing-for-stimulus.html?refid=rss_all_defaultRoughly 5 million people who qualify for a stimulus check could be out of luck because they haven't filed a tax return, CNN reports, and the IRS is scrambling to let them know. These un-stimulated masses consist mostly of seniors and veterans who don’t normally file returns. “I think there are some natural barriers to getting some folks to want to file a return again,” one IRS employee theorized.http://www.newser.com/story/30510/millions-skip-filing-for-stimulus.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 20 Jun 2008 8:03:25 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/29492/us-economy-isnt-bouncing-back.html?refid=rss_all_defaultForget those predictions of a US economic revival in 2008, Daniel Gross writes in Newsweek . The four horsemen of the economy—credit and housing crises, food and energy prices—are getting meaner, while booming commodities and crunching credit are curbing attempts to fight back. "As a result, the consumer-driven economy may not bounce back as rapidly as it did in the fraught months after 9/11," Gross writes.http://www.newser.com/story/29492/us-economy-isnt-bouncing-back.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 08 Jun 2008 13:43:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/28928/rebate-checks-go-to-gas-food-looming-debt.html?refid=rss_all_defaultRather than the gluttonous splurge on flat-screen TVs and foreign vacations that Uncle Sam had envisioned, most Americans are plunking their rebate checks down on exorbitant gas and food costs--and their mounting debt. “The initial sense is that people are not running out the malls,” one economist told the New York Times . The sense of restraint may fail to buoy the economy as hoped.http://www.newser.com/story/28928/rebate-checks-go-to-gas-food-looming-debt.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 01 Jun 2008 8:05:25 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/27428/recession-fears-overblown-economists.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA growing number of economists are saying, cautiously, that the US might have pulled back from the brink of recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. The experts credit swift action by the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates and save Bear Stearns in March, and even the ongoing distribution of fiscal-stimulus checks, as catalysts for the detour.http://www.newser.com/story/27428/recession-fears-overblown-economists.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 14 May 2008 5:39:38 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/27195/no-rebates-for-immigrant-taxpayers-or-yank-spouses.html?refid=rss_all_defaultHundreds of thousands of legal, taxpaying immigrants and their Americans spouses are among the unhappy few who won’t be getting a tax rebate check, AP reports. Taxpayers need a Social Security number to qualify—a rule intended to carve out illegal immigrants. Also inadvertently cut from the benefit are legal residents and American citizens—including US soldiers—who filed jointly with a spouse without a Social Security number, which can take years to obtain.http://www.newser.com/story/27195/no-rebates-for-immigrant-taxpayers-or-yank-spouses.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 11 May 2008 20:44:17 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/25952/will-tax-rebates-boost-economy-test-starts-today.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe first tax rebates designed to kick-start the economy should begin arriving in bank accounts today. The Treasury Department has begun sending electronic rebates to nearly 8 million people by the end of this week, and some 130 million checks will go out via snail mail in May. President Bush hopes taxpayers will spend the cash—up to $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples—but economists say many will save it or pay off debts.http://www.newser.com/story/25952/will-tax-rebates-boost-economy-test-starts-today.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 29 Apr 2008 5:46:15 CDT