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Question: I mailed my 2009 state income tax return on April 4. I am due a refund but haven’t received it yet. I have been calling the Hawaii Tax Department information line several times a day for several weeks, and I get the same message: "Your tax return has been approved and is currently being processed. Please wait for approximately eight weeks for your refund." I have been waiting now for more than 15 weeks. I really need that money. I hope my return hasn’t been lost. Can you help? (One of several similar requests for information.)
Answer: We received your question last week, so hope you have received your refund by now.
The state Department of Taxation said it has sent out all refunds, or refund approvals, due taxpayers this year. That’s if the tax returns were filed by the April 20 due date.
But when the refunds were sent depended on how taxpayers opted to receive them. The last of the refunds were to be mailed this week.
Those who requested refunds be direct deposited should have received them before July 15.
However, if the deposit was rejected for insufficient or erroneous routing or account information, then the refund check would not have been directly deposited.
The refund would have been "reversed," then resubmitted for payment by check, said Denise Inouye, supervising income tax specialist with the Department of Taxation.
The Taxation Department sends refund information to the Department of Accounting and General Services, which then cuts the checks and mails them out.
"We targeted 40,000 checks the week of July 5, 40,000 the week of July 12 and 60,000 the week of July 19," said state Comptroller Russ Saito, head of Accounting and General Services. "We met all deadlines."
The final 30,000 checks were scheduled to be sent this week.
Saito said 20,000 checks were printed Monday night, and the final 10,000 were to be printed last night. "Mailings follow the printing by a day or more," he said.
Gov. Linda Lingle ordered refunds to Hawaii taxpayers to be delayed this year by a legally allowed 90 days, in an attempt to balance the last fiscal year’s budget.
The state had faced a projected shortfall of $721 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
A total of $294 million in refunds was due taxpayers this year.
Question: When is the bulky-item pickup for Waipahu?
Answer: The third Monday of the month.
The next scheduled bulky-item pickup for Waipahu will be Aug. 16.
Monthly pickup is conducted during a three- to four-day period. All items must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on the first day only.
You can find the pickup schedules for all neighborhoods on the city’s website, hsblinks.com/2kg.
AUWE
To the driver of an SUV who damaged my car and left without taking responsibility. At 5:45 p.m. Saturday, I parked my red Honda Civic on Beretania Street in front of Safeway and went to Auntie Pasto’s restaurant. I parked behind a larger SUV with at least 2 1/2 feet between us.
When I returned to my car at 6:30 p.m., I found the SUV had backed into my car, leaving a big dent in the hood. The owner did not leave a note, although it was obvious what had happened. — Peggy
