Hispanics Will Get 'Nada' When Checks Go Out

WASHINGTON (AP) July 23, 2004 — A television ad that began airing Tuesday tells Hispanic audiences and other poor families to expect “nada” or “nothing” in their mailboxes Friday when the government begins mailing child credit rebate checks.

The ad is aimed at informing Hispanic families that of the 12 million children whose families won’t get the tax credit, a third of them are Hispanic, Congressional Hispanic Caucus members said.

The ad opens with a close-up shot of an empty mailbox. “Some children aren’t as important to the Bush administration,” a narrator says during the commercial. Later, in the Spanish version, which was shown at a news conference, the word “NADA” is displayed in large letters.

The television ad began running in English in Washington, D.C., and in both languages in Florida on Tuesday. It is to air in Texas and California in both languages this week and later in other states with large Spanish-speaking populations. The ad is to be shown on Univision and Telemundo stations and on cable stations in English.

The Washington-based Center for Community Change, an advocacy group for minorities, paid for the ad. Stephanie Robinson, national policy director, would not give an exact cost of the ad campaign but said it would spend “$10,000-plus.”

Robinson said other ads were run in June in English to reach other families not getting tax credits. She said 2.4 million black children and 1 million children in military families also would not get a check.

“Whether you’re from a military family or a Hispanic household, there’s a very good chance you won’t get anything in the mail this week,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.

A law enacted in May increased the child tax credit this year.

The Treasury Department plans to send child credit rebate checks of up to $400 per child to the 25 million families eligible for the rebate in three batches during July and August.