Nearly one in every three Connecticut taxpayers is neglecting to take credit for a one-time telephone tax refund that could save them $30 to $60, according to a recent Internal Revenue Service review.
The credit, established to repay a federal excise tax on long distance and bundled phone service, was left unclaimed on about 30 percent of the 2006 Connecticut tax returns reviewed from a recent six-week sample of filings, IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder said.
It equates to about $4.6 million that state taxpayers could have received, she said.
However, Connecticut taxpayers still were slightly more savvy than the national average. In the same six-week period, nearly 31 percent of all taxpayers-or about 14.7 million filers-failed to ask for the refund, Besunder said.
“We want everyone in Connecticut who is entitled to request this refund to do so,” she said.
The tax ended in August 2006 after several federal court decisions determined it does not apply to long-distance service as it is billed today. The tax continues to apply to local-only phone service.
Some Connecticut taxpayers said they had already filed their returns without knowing about the refund.
“Any tax credit is a good tax credit in my book,” said Jose Lopes, 34, of Terryville.
Robert Damato, owner of Liberty Tax in Waterbury, said they add the refund for eligible clients. Out of about 800 tax returns, about 15 customers have asked about the refund, he said.
“Every return we do, we let the customers know,” he said.
