The Nation : Human Error Delays U.S. Tax Refunds

A human error in running a computer has delayed 450,000 federal tax refunds by a week, but the IRS said there is no comparison with the computer problems that made a disaster of the 1985 filing season. “The situation was uncovered immediately and remedial steps were taken so that no taxpayers were inconvenienced,” IRS spokesman Frank Keith said of the latest problem. “People are going to get their refund checks in the four- to six-week time frame that is typical at this time of the year,” said Ellen Murphy, IRS director of public affairs. But checks for those who filed in the second or third week of January will be mailed Feb. 17, rather than today as had been planned.