The IRS will continue to send checks to people who got extensions to file their 2007 returns. The IRS said it will get checks to stragglers by the end of the year if they file by Oct. 15.

The IRS estimates that it will send out 12 million more checks, according to a spokeswoman.

Tax filers who miss the Oct. 15 deadline and still qualify for a payment can obtain their stimulus payment by filing a 2008 tax return.

Keeping tabs. In the week ended July 11, the Treasury Department sent out 7.5 million economic stimulus payments totaling $5.7 billion.

The program "has met the objective - it put some money in people's pockets when the economy was really struggling," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wachovia. "The program may have provided the economy just enough relief to avoid a technical recession," he said.

Retail sales numbers for the month of June indicate that consumers are stretching their stimulus cash as much as possible. Discount retail chains, such asWal-mart and Costco, posted strong results while slightly more expensive clothing stores, like Gap andLimited, did not perform as well.

Vitner said he expects consumer spending to slip in August, when consumers will have mostly spent their rebate checks.

Source; Cnn.com

About Fred: Fred is president of The I Team Organization. With a back ground in agriculture Fred has lead many successful business ventures.