news-record.com

RALEIGH (AP) — Thousands of North Carolina families that claimed five or more children on their income tax returns are being told to provide proof.

State tax officials have sent letters to about 6,700 families claiming a large number of dependents, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported today. The letters say families must verify the family size before refund checks will be mailed.

Linda Millsaps, the Revenue Department's chief operating officer, said the agency has audited questionable returns in the past after refunds were distributed. But this year some $2.6 million in refunds were stopped before they were sent.

Taxpayers say they have had to find birth certificates and Social Security cards for their children.

"They wanted to see birth certificates, Social Security cards for all of our children, proof that we were married, our federal tax return," said Cynthia Leugers, a mother of nine in Indian Trail.

"I had to write up a statement saying that they were all our natural children, that they lived at our address in 2008."

She said it took 10 weeks to get copies of birth certificates from two states and to replace a Social Security card that went through the laundry.

The requirements provoked irritation among the recipients of the letters.

"I felt like I was being targeted," said Eugene Allison, a Charlotte lawyer and father of seven.

Allison and his wife adopted four children from Russia and had to provide Russian birth certificates, adoption certificates and other papers.

"I'm a lawyer and keep things fairly well organized," he said. "For the average citizen, I suspect it would be more burdensome."

Officials said 2,200 taxpayers were audited last year because of their deductions for children.