Tax rebate proposal: Gift Certificates instead of checks

Great Debates
1

The purpose of this upcoming rebate is to stimulate the economy by increasing spending, right? But I suspect a significant portion of that money will instead simply be socked away into bank accounts or used to pay down debt, completely going against the purpose of this rebate. People won’t be doing what they’re “supposed to” be doing with it.

What’s the solution to this?

I propose instead of cutting us checks, give us all gift certificates as rebates. These certificates would be redeemable anywhere you can shop in this country, and the certificates expire within one year. That way, everybody will be forced to spend the money.

2

For the sake of the debate that this approach would even be legal, count me in. I will do what I can to make the smallest purchase(s) possible from any gift certificate(s) and ask for cold hard cash as change. All so I can squirrel it away for next year when this refund normally comes out.

Then again, what is going to stop some folks from setting up a simple business designed just to cash these gift certificates and circumvent the system?

Yeah, I’m deliberately playing Devil’s Advocate here. For me the entire “stimulus package” has a bad smell already attached to it and no amount of Febreze can hide it.