Comptroller stops $21 million in faulty tax refunds

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said his office has halted $21.2 million in questionable tax refunds after finding 6,353 improper filings.

The comptroller”™s office audits all New York state bills prior to payments, having already audited and approved 3.9 million refund requests for $3.3 billion in 2013. DiNapoli expects to review 271,000 refund requests for $303 million over the next few days.

The majority of questionable returns were filed by taxpayers who claimed credits for ineligible child care or claimed credits allowed only for low-income households. Auditors found a significant number of dubious refunds ”“ 27 percent ”“ were linked to dishonest tax preparers filing false tax returns.

“We are blocking those who try to cheat the system with inflated expenses or hidden income,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “Unfortunately, there are some tax preparers who don”™t play by the rules and create inflated refunds, sometimes without the filer”™s knowledge.”