Arizona briefs

Nov. 15, 2002 12:00 AM

Arizonans owed $1.9 mil

in unclaimed U.S. taxes

The federal government owes more than 2,500 Arizonans a total of $1.89 million in unclaimed federal tax refunds, the Internal Revenue Service said.

Claims for 2,528 people in the state range from as little as $1 to $85,376. The average check is for $749.

"We don't know where these taxpayers are," said Bill Brunson, an IRS spokesman in Phoenix. "We don't have a valid address for them."

Nationally, the government owes nearly 96,800 people more than $80 million.

The unclaimed checks stem from various tax years, as there are no expiration dates for claiming a refund.

People who suspect they might be owed a refund need to contact the agency at 1-800-829-1040 or http://www.irs.gov, clicking on the "where's my refund" section.