(January 18, 2008) With the opening of another tax season, consumer advocates at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) and Consumer Federation of America (CFA) are warning taxpayers to steer clear of refund anticipation loans (RALs), one of the most avoidable tax-time expenses.  New figures reveal that RALs drained the refunds of nearly 9 million American taxpayers in 2006.  This figure has declined from a high of 12.4 million in 2004, but still represents $900 million in loan fees, plus over $90 million in other fees. In addition, another 10.8 million taxpayers spent $324 million on other types of financial products to receive their refunds.  Read NCLC and CFA's press release (PDF), and AFFIL's tax season tips (PDF).