Ouch! Early Georgia tax filers temporarily lose refunds

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Revenue says thousands of Georgia taxpayers might be affected by a computer glitch that removed tax refunds which had already been deposited in their bank accounts.

The situation has left some Georgians facing bank fees for overdrawn accounts

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Alton Carter of Winder said he used some of his refund to pay bills, but was left with a deficit in his account and overdraft fees from the bank after the state took the money back.

Department of Revenue spokesman Reg Lansberry said a programming error affected how some of the refunds were calculated, so state officials issued stop payment orders.

Agency officials say they will work with banks to try to resolve charges. They say the computer glitch has been fixed, and they will begin reissuing refunds.