Southern Californians Use IRS Rebates to Hit the Road

    LOS ANGELES--July 23, 2001--With IRS rebate checks up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married couples beginning to arrive in mailboxes this week, some taxpayers are planning to use the money for travel, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    Would-be travelers have asked agents at many of the Auto Club's 70 AAA Travel Agency offices about trips that would fall within the rebate range. Others have indicated they may use rebates to offset the cost of trips. While most taxpayers have said they plan to wait until the money is in hand, several trips already have been booked and paid for at Auto Club Travel Agencies.
    "We had one person buy a Trafalgar tour to Europe, another is going on a weekend Carnival cruise to Mexico and a person bought a pair of airline tickets to Florida," said Leslie Leonard, manager of Travel Services for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    "There is definitely interest in using the rebate for travel because $300-$600 can buy a nice weekend getaway. While it is still too early to tell how many trips will be booked, we expect this initial interest to grow."
    The Treasury Department planned to mail approximately 8 million checks, totaling $3.3 billion, last Friday. Over a period of 10 weeks through the end of September, the department expects to mail out about 92 million checks totaling about $38 billion. Officials have encouraged Americans to spend the money in an effort to spur the economy.
    "It's a nice windfall, especially when you consider the discounts available this summer and many of our member benefits," said Leonard. "As an example, Auto Club member discounts can take a weekend cruise that normally runs about $800 down to $550 per person. If you subtract the maximum individual IRS rebate, the cost of the cruise is only $250."