Topeka ? Some Kansans’ federal stimulus checks are stimulating state tax collections to the tune of $1.2 million.

More than 2,300 checks written to Kansas taxpayers as part of the economic stimulus plan are being intercepted to pay back taxes, Kansas Department of Revenue officials said Wednesday.

“If they owed past-due monies to the state, then before they could receive that from the stimulus package, we were able to take all or part of their money,” said Revenue Department spokeswoman Freda Warfield.

Neighboring Missouri has reported collecting nearly $3 million in owed state taxes from the federal checks, while Georgia collected $4.66 million.

Under the federal plan designed to boost the economy, qualifying taxpayers received checks of up to $600 per individual, up to $1,200 for a married couple, and $300 rebates per child.

Nationally, the government has sent $842 million in economic stimulus payments back to the states for past debts, according to reports. That represents about 1.5 percent of the $57 billion that has been distributed.