Republican lawmakers favor a proposal that would offer rebates of up to $800 for individuals and $1,600 for families — but only if they paid that much in taxes last year.
For practical purposes, a family of four with an income of $24,000 would receive no government payments at all, and families with incomes below $40,000 would at most receive partial rebates. But a household with an income of $100,000 or more could get back $1,600.
Almost by definition, the approach would exclude millions of people who were unemployed or living largely on Social Security. It could also bypass families with incomes as high as $60,000, depending on the kinds of tax credits they use to reduce their taxable incomes.