American taxpayers outside the official 50 states and Washington, D.C., got good news today.
Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson approved the stimulus distribution plan and payment amounts for residents of American Samoa, and payments amounts to residents of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 required the Treasury Secretary to approve distribution plans for "non-mirror code" territories (Puerto Rico and American Samoa), and payment amounts to territories with "mirror codes" (Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).
For American Samoa and Puerto Rico, which had its funds approved on April 16, the islands’ governments had to devise distribution plans that to be approved by the Treasury Secretary. In essence, the territories’ had to enact language that the U.S. federal funds be advanced instead of having the local governments pick up the tab and get reimbursed by the federal government.
You can read Paulson’s transmittal letter to American Samoa and see the A.S. distribution plan here.
Paulson’s letter to Puerto Rico is available here and P.R.’s rebate plan is detailed here.
Click below to read Paulson’s other letters:
