Increased tax returns this year are intended to do what stimulus checks did last year.

One of the features of the new stimulus package is giving people tax cuts and increasing tax returns.

Assistant economics professor Mohammad Mirhosseini said people should expect larger tax returns than in previous years.

“People are going to receive more tax returns, giving them more money back,” he said.

Mirhosseini said tax returns are serving a similar function that stimulus checks did last year.

“The government wants people to have more money to spend with these tax returns,” he said. “And to get the economy to grow once again, an increase in consumption is needed.”

Michael Watkins, senior political science major, said he thinks people won’t be spending the money they get.

“People getting money through their tax returns will end up saving the money,” he said. “They are scared of the current economic situation and won’t want to spend it.”

Brad Fischer, junior mathematical sciences major, feels differently than Watkins.

“I think people in Illinois will spend the extra money they receive,” Fischer said.

According to the Associated Press, a new tax credit is one of the many things included in the package to help people out.

This new tax credit for this year and next year will be deducting $400 in taxes per working person.

Employees need to be making under $75,000 a year to qualify for these tax cuts.

Workers should notice this deduction from their paychecks starting around June with about $13 less being withheld.

A $1,000 child tax credit is available to families who aren’t able to make enough money to pay their income taxes.

Another way the stimulus package is helping families is by exempting 24 million taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax. This tax was made to prevent wealthy taxpayers from using credits and deductions to avoid paying their taxes. This would save a family of four roughly $2,300.

Watkins said he thinks the tax cuts will benefit those who are in debt.

“It might actually help those who are in debt to get out of it,” he said.

Fischer said he is in favor of the tax cuts as opposed to stimulus checks.

“Tax cuts are a good thing, because it’s helping the country as a whole and not a part of it,” he said.