IDES garnishing tax returns of unemployment cheats

CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Department of Employment Security plans to garnish the state tax returns of people who wrongfully collected unemployment insurance.

The agency on Wednesday said the initiative will save the state $40 million per year.

IDES Director Jay Rowell says the agency also will seek to garnish federal tax returns to recover $158 million from people who refuse to enter into a payment plan.

Unemployment insurance benefits are funded through business contributions, so Rowell says stopping fraud and recovering improper payments reduces the cost of doing business in Illinois.