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Whatever the intent was when the Internal Revenue Service decided not to provide the debt indicator this year, once thing it is certain - There is little likelihood that demand for refund anticipation loans will decrease in the coming tax season. Instead, as Republic Bancorp CEO Steve Trager said this month, there will be fewer, more expensive, smaller refund loans.

For those who think RALs are too expensive, this isn't what they had hoped for. But I continue believe that like it or not, RALs are essential for a part of the population that is often unbanked and in desperate need of cash. And again, I think the pros and cons in this argument are heavily weighed down by cultural assumptions.

It's ironic that those decrying RALs probably haven't given the same thought to the interest rates charged by credit card companies. Bank card debt drained a lot of money from Americans during the years in which the current economic crisis developed and hit its peak.

What's the difference? Credit card interest rates applied to debt became a kind of addiction with the financial institutions as enablers with police protection (laws written in their favor). While RALS might be a once-year sin, credit card interest can be a gift (to the banks) that keeps on giving.

Some readers might have heard Grouch Marx's sketch about the eight-cent nickel in the movie, "Animal Crackers," which would be issued if the seven-cent nickel was a success. As Captain Spaulding Marx elaborated, "Think what that would mean. You could go to a newsstand, buy a three-cent newspaper and get the same nickel back again. One nickel carefully used would last a family a lifetime!"

For the banks, consumer credit debt and accruing interest can be the nickel that lasts a lifetime for many borrowers. And on taxes, it's all a question of whose RAL is gored.

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