I’ll believe it when I see it

Seven million dollars in rebates, refunds in December? I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m still waiting for my 2009 tax return to be issued. On July 11, 2009, I asked the tax office when my check would be issued. They said within a few weeks. A few weeks is now over 65 weeks since I filed.

I’ll believe it when I see it since CNMI spokesman Demapan said last year on July 13, 2010, in a Saipan Tribune headline titled “Refund checks worth $6.4M now out.” He said: “We want to inform our taxpayers that the Fitial administration is following through on our commitment that we will not invade funds reserved. We promised to timely release refund and rebate checks.” I have to laugh at this, honestly, laugh a lot. Sixty-five weeks and counting.

“As promised, the Fitial administration didn’t dip into the refund and rebate funds despite difficulty in making payroll on time and making timely payments to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for power, water and sewer services.” Fifteen months and counting. Now they say checks will be issued in December. That would make around 20-plus months and counting…where is the interest? I figure that should be around another $300 to $400. Are the people who have children going to be leapfrogged over others who have waited so long for their checks to be issued? Sad times we live in.

To clarify another point I made in a letter about Article 12, I said that the land of the CNMI should remain in the hands of Chamorros and Carolinians. I said, “The only changes that should be made are the people whose grandparents are Chamorro or Carolinian and they (the younger generation) are not 100 percent, they should be able to own land.” I should have made myself clearer: The land should be owned by anyone 1/32 Carolinian or Chamorro or higher (as some Native American tribes allow) and the law should state more clearly that owners can freely sell the land to anyone without government intervention. I apologize for any confusion about that.

Still I’ll wait for my check to be issued. I guarantee I won’t get it before Christmas. I’ve been right at least eight times in the past year. Let me go for nine. I’m so sure that my check won’t be issued any time soon. If it arrives before July 20, I will buy two bloodhounds (the world’s greatest tracking dog), pay for their shipping to the CNMI, and donate them to the CNMI police to help the police locate any missing children and assist in locating in the missing girls.