Yesterday's news that the US's Gross Domestic Product only grew 1.9 percent despite the recent flood [1] of rebate checks is a bit surprising. The rebate checks were technically a one-time tax cut that you don't have to pay back [2] and are considered an advance on the taxes you'll owe in 2008, but the government hoped consumers would use the "extra" dough and boost the economy by buying things [3].
Source [4]