Arizona has begun sending out rebate payments of up to $750 for eligible taxpayers as part of a program GOP lawmakers included in this year’s state budget, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Tuesday.Hobbs also revealed a beefed-up Department of Revenue website that answers detailed questions about who is eligible for the one-time government payback and allows people to check if they are eligible. Payments should be distributed by about Nov. 15, with eligible taxpayers receiving them electronically or via paper check, depending on how they receive their tax returns.The Arizona Families Tax Rebate was created this year during an atypical budget negotiation process that saw lawmakers splicing up the state’s approximately $2.5 billion surplus. Each lawmaker could decide how their share would be spent, and members of the ultra-conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus pooled their allowances to create the rebate as a form of relief amid high inflation.About 750,000 Arizonans will get the rebate, which is available to taxpayers who claim dependents and had at least $1 of tax liability in recent years, among other criteria.Lawmakers also included provisions in the law to prevent Hobbs from taking credit for the rebate in letters that went out to taxpayers. Hobbs has spoken sparingly about the rebate, but on Tuesday took a victory lap in her announcement that payments would start making their way to Arizonans.”Governor Katie Hobbs Puts Money Back in Arizonans’ Pockets,” was the title of a Tuesday news release from the Governor’s Office, touting the rebates that were part of the budget Hobbs signed in May. It was her first budget as governor and won supermajority support in the GOP-majority Legislature.“I made a promise that when I took office, I would take every opportunity I had to make it easier for Arizonans to provide for their families and lower the cost of living,” Hobbs said in a statement. “I am so pleased to be able to deliver this relief with the Arizona Families Tax Rebate.”The law that created the rebate put restraints on Hobbs, including that she could not send a letter about the rebate from her office, on her letterhead, or referencing the Governor’s Office at all. The law does not place those restrictions on websites, news releases or videos.Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Queen Creek Republican who is the leader of the Freedom Caucus, said a letter sent out by the Department of Revenue violates the law.“Unfortunately, Katie Hobbs has once again violated state law, and we’re exploring our legal options to hold her accountable,” Hoffman said in a statement, noting Hobbs did not support the rebate during the budget negotiation.Funding battle:Hobbs, Horne clashed on education grants. Here’s what happened next“Republican policies help people, and given her newfound support for our policy agenda, she can expect to see much more of it when the Legislature reconvenes in 2024.”Christian Slater, a spokesperson for Hobbs, said, “We are in compliance with the law” and the governor was glad to “provide Arizonans relief from rising costs.”Hoffman and the Freedom Caucus have threatened to sue Hobbs before, related to her first executive order guaranteeing anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community when it comes to state employment. But that lawsuit was never filed. Hoffman falsely claimed to be a legitimate elector for Trump following the 2020 election, one of a group of false electors that are now part of an ongoing investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.A copy of the Department of Revenue letter that went out to eligible families says the rebates are “a result of this Administration’s 2023 bipartisan budget.” It also directs Arizonans to the Department of Revenue’s rebate portal online, but the link included is to the governor’s homepage on the state website. One more click and you find an “information hub” where Hobbs touts her commitment “to working with bipartisan leaders to put money back into your pocket and build a strong economic future for our state.” It also debuts a new video talking about the rebate.The letter from the Department of Revenue does include language giving credit to the Legislature, which the law also made mandatory.”This rebate is being issued pursuant to Senate Bill 1734, as passed by the fifty-sixth legislature, first regular session, and signed into law by the governor,” the letter reads.Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
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