Spending of tax rebate money on shopping may be slower than politicians hope, according to a new survey.
A CCH CompleteTax survey of 2,020 U.S. adults commissioned by CCH and conducted by Harris Interactive found that 47 percent plan to use the rebate money to pay down debt. Another 32 percent intend to use the rebate to save money, and 21 percent plan to spend the rebate.
Those with household incomes of less than $75,000 before taxes were the most likely to say they would use the rebate to pay off debt. Even among households with income of $75,000 or more, 44 percent said they would use a rebate to pay down debt.
More than one-half (54 percent) of individuals working full-time or who are self-employed would use a tax rebate to pay down debt, while 29 percent would save it and 17 percent would spend it. Individuals who are unemployed or retired are more likely to indicate they plan to spend a rebate, with 29 percent and 32 percent of these individuals, respectively, saying they're most likely to spend any tax rebate.
Individuals living with children say they are more likely to use their rebate to pay down debt and less likely to spend it than those without children in the household. Only 16 percent of households with children said they would spend their rebate, while 59 percent said they planned to use the rebate primarily to pay down debt, and 25 percent will save it. That's compared to households with no children where 22 percent said they would spend a rebate, 42 percent would pay down debt, and 35 percent would save it.
