Another US community is joining the ranks of communities throughout the country that have put aside funds to provide regular stimulus checks to certain of its people over a prolonged period of time.
This time, the city is Palm Springs, California. Its city council has set aside just about a quarter million dollars to give $900 payments for up to 18 months. Residents who identify as transgender or nonbinary would be among the recipients, according to BGR.
California Has Its Own Stimulus Check Program
Importantly, there would be no strings linked to the payments, making this another basic income experiment. That's another another way of expressing what amounts to a steady stream of stimulus funds. That is over the period of several months. In recent days, the Palm Springs City Council decided unanimously to put aside $200,000 to cover the payments, which will only be distributed to those who fall below a certain poverty level.
According to Fox News, the taxpayer-funded reimbursements will be distributed to 20 Palm Springs homeowners. DAP Health, an advocacy-based health facility, and Queer Works, an LGBT advocacy group, will also be in charge of this initiative. The city's initial financial contribution, according to the latter of the two organizations, would enable both groups to investigate best practices of successful programs around the country, according to a press release.
The national agency Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is also providing pilot design help to the groups. Following the collapse of support in the Senate at the end of 2021, stimulus check payments at the federal level stopped, and these types of projects at the city level have developed as a form of replacement.
Several cities around the country have been exploring with their own versions of this. For example, in Newark, New Jersey, a basic income program was recently expanded to 400 residents. Over the course of two years, each member will receive a total of $12,000. The participants are low-income and must demonstrate some sort of hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another example is Los Angeles' new "Breathe" guaranteed income program. Participants will receive $1,000 each month for three years in this one. Participants are free to use the money as they like. Residents in some states may be eligible for supplementary economic incentives before the national tax-filing deadline.
While the third batch of economic stimulus payments was sent to eligible Americans last year, those who did not receive one may be able to apply for one before the April 18 tax-filing deadline. Furthermore, several states have passed laws that would offer citizens with additional financial compensation when their taxes are submitted on Monday.
Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia approved a measure in March that will offer additional economic payments to qualified Georgia residents once they file their taxes. The state's department of revenue will issue additional credit whenever a taxpayer submits their taxes for 2021, according to the announcement.
Couples will receive $500, while single taxpayers will receive $250. According to the governor's office, a taxpayer who is designated the head of the home will get a $375 stimulus payment.
These States Provide Payment After Filing Taxes
Similar legislation was approved in Indiana, where Governor Eric Holcomb declared that residents who file their taxes in 2021 will get a "125 Automatic Taxpayer Refund."
Residents of New Mexico may be eligible for a tax return after submitting their taxes on Monday, according to legislation approved by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in March. Single taxpayers will get a $250 one-time tax rebate, while married taxpayers will receive a $500 one-time tax rebate.
After filing their 2021 taxes in New Jersey, certain households may be entitled for up to $500 in tax refunds. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the state legislature earlier passed a budget that provided $500 tax refund cheques to about 1 million families.
Murphy added another one-time $500 refund check in his budget last month for anyone who file their taxes using a taxpayer ID number rather than their social security number. Prior to that, Idaho Governor Brad Little approved a law allocating $350 million in tax rebates to qualified people, as per Newsweek.
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