For those outside the USA who don't understand what is going on: some US states require income tax of anyone who lives within their jurisdictions. Some people end up over-paying because they collect BEFORE calculating the exact tax due; it's to make sure that the government receives its share up front.
So, these are people who over-paid their state sales tax. Many of these people now need that money; some of them desperately. But the states aren't paying.
The "we don't have enough personnel to process the checks" is a ruse. Of all the staff who would be cut, why do you suppose that the folks who need to cut the checks are the ones who get laid off? For that matter, it is doubtless not all that complicated. They don't want to part with the money; it's as simple as that.
And extremely unethical. Aside from the ethics of taxation, keeping moneys owed is the same as stealing. The state has STOLEN from these people.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D997417O0&show_article=1
