Readers plan for Bush tax rebate

President Bush says the rebate will give the US economy a boost

US consumers are due to receive tax rebates totalling more than $100bn (£50bn) from Monday as part of a plan which President George W Bush says will encourage spending and stimulate the economy.

The initiative, aimed at some 117 million US homes, will see up to $600 being paid out to individuals, while married couples could receive up to $1,200.

Here, readers from across the US tell us how they will use the money and whether they will spend it, save it or pay off their debts.

SPEND

I am going to do what President Bush said and spend it! Jes Wheeler, Texas

Bush's plan has already helped the economy. Because I have been expecting the extra check from the government, I have already spent it several times over. First, to justify buying some new eye glasses that cost $500. Then, after I got used to having already spent that, I used it to justify paying a cleaner to do extra spring cleaning in my home.
Fred Self, Moreno Valley, California

I am going to do what President Bush said to do and spend it! I will be heading to New Orleans for a long weekend of fun while helping out the local economy.
Jes Wheeler, Texas

I plan to use it to pre-buy oil to heat my house next winter.
Bill Foster, Haverhill, New Hampshire

My family and I will be using the rebates to help purchase flights to England to visit family. We have a new addition and the grandparents are excited to meet her.
Dan Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota

My rebate check should be automatically deposited this week, but I'll be saving it to spend on my trip to France in the fall. Most people I know are just looking forward to receiving theirs so they can have some gas money.
Chase, Pennsylvania

We will be using the money to help keep gas in our vehicles over the summer. The situation with gas prices is so out of control that we may have to get a horse!
John Swift, Pennsylvania

SAVE

I'm planning to save it. I need to save every penny I can for retirement since the Republicans have clearly targeted "entitlements" as money ripe for looting.
Scott, Columbus, Ohio

We will put it in the bank.
1st Lieutenant Fowler, ARK Guard, Taji, Iraq

Our rebate this year will be $1,200. My husband plans on using half of it to pay off student loans, while I will use the other half to establish a savings account for our baby. While it's nice to have a little extra cash on hand, this rebate isn't helping us beyond what we could manage already. I wish they would have used the money for something more beneficial, like creating universal health care, or investing it in alternative energy.
Shannon, Asheville, North Carolina

My wife and I have decided to put the entire rebate cheque into our children's college funds. Yeah, it's not exciting, and no, it won't help out the economy right now - sorry George! - but ultimately our children are going to be the ones paying for the rebate cheques, so the money might as well go to help them and their future. It's a much better investment than blowing the cheque on stuff we really don't need.
David, Houston, Texas

I'm going to take the money, put in my bank account and save it for a home that I'll be buying in the next few months.
Scott Hoff, Saint Louis, Missouri

Spend it? With two kids in college and a slowing economy? I'm going to save it. I know it's a concept out of the 1930s, but some of my countrymen should try it. Maybe we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves now if they did.
Greg Keif, Ocala, Florida

I'd like to say a vacation, but in truth it will most likely be saved or used to pay off credit card debt.
Ted, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

DEBT REPAYMENT

I am expecting to receive a check of about $1,200. Unfortunately, I cannot answer President Bush's call to patriotism by mindlessly spending this money on retail items. Gas prices are at their highest in years as are basic household items including food and energy costs. I plan to split my payment between paying down debt and providing for basic necessities in these trying financial times. I don't think this initiative will be successful at all. America is not doing well financially and smart citizens will not go and spend their money frivolously. They will save or put the money to practical use.
Nikki, Baltimore, Maryland

There is no incentive to spend it on frivolous items that I can do without Jenn, Michigan

I should get $600. Of course it will help me, but I do not think it will help stimulate the economy. Most Americans have tons of credit card debt, and we have to pay off our mortgages and pay bills on our over-sized houses. My rebate will go immediately to paying my bills, mortgage, or taxes, whichever comes first, and I'm in the minority by not having any credit card debt. We have to pay off our debt, not buy more garbage. That's my two cents.
Mike, Chicago, Illinois

I will be receiving a tax rebate, and all of it will be going to pay a small portion of my income tax bill for last year. As Thomas Jefferson said: "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have."
Jon Abbott, Boulder, Colorado

I am scheduled to receive $600. I plan to send it right back out and pay down debt. There is no incentive to spend it on frivolous items that I can do without.
Jenn, Michigan

My tax rebate will be spent covering a fraction of my owed taxes. My mortgage will have to wait.
Mark, Los Angeles, California