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Legislature passes taxpayer relief bill; first rebates could come June 30

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The New Mexico Legislature held a special session this week and approved two bills that will allocate about $677 million in one-time tax rebates to New Mexico taxpayers to “provide economic relief in the face of rising costs to consumers,” the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release announcing the special session that was held April 5.

 The bill passed by a vote of 35-1 with five members not voting in the state Senate and 51-13 in the House, with four members not voting. All senators and House members representing Doña Ana County voted for the bill.

If signed by the governor, the one-time appropriation will provide rebates to all taxpayers who filed 2021 state tax returns, the state Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) said in its analysis of the bill. Single filers will receive a total of $500 and married individuals filing joint returns will receive a total of $1,000. The first rebate, one-half of the total amount, will be paid June 30. The second will be paid in August, the LFC bill analysis said.

The bill includes $20 million for one-time relief payments to married couples and individuals who “were not eligible to receive the rebates,” the LFC said. 

A second bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, will allocate $50.2 million for community projects and services statewide. If signed by the governor, the bill’s allocations will include more than $5 million to New Mexico State University, and hundreds of thousands of dollars for Doña Ana County, Las Cruces Public Schools and the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces, along with millions of dollars to other local governmental entities, school districts and universities and to state departments and agencies to fund programs across New Mexico.

For more information, visit www.nmlegis.gov. Click on “Legislation,” “Bill Finder” and “View Complete Legislation List.” “2022 3rd Special” will automatically come up in the drop boxes. Click on the blue “Go” button to read the bills, how legislators voted on each one and the LFC’s bill analysis. HB2 is the tax rebate bill. SB 1 is the appropriations and expenditures bill.


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