Louisiana’s House Looks For Options For Debit Card Refunds

Members of Louisiana's House of Representatives have now voted to give Louisiana taxpayers a choice on how they get their refund.  They have said they think Louisiana taxpayers should not have to get their tax refund money on a debit card if they do not have an account that has direct deposit.

The Louisiana House voted unanimously to Jonesboro Representative Jim Fannin's legislation that would allow anyone getting a tax refund to get that refund in the form of a check if that is what they choose.  If they do not want the debit card, then they can simply ask for a check to be sent.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue had recently replaced the check system of refunding money into a debit card only system.  Refunds were only being issued with pre-paid Chase Visa cards if you happened to be a citizen that did not have a bank account where the State of Louisiana could send you an automatic deposit.  The department said they made the move in an effort to save the state some money.

Fannin says many lawmakers said they had heard man complaints from constituents who did not know how to use the cards, and in some instances, they were charged fees when they were allowed to use them.  Under the bill making its way through the process now, each person in Louisiana that is going to receive a tax rebate in the future would be able to pick the form in which the refund would be given.  They will have the same options as before.  They can either get it by check, direct deposit or debit card.