The IRS has announced further tax relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina due to slow clean up efforts and obviously devastated areas.
The IRS is giving relief to both businesses and individual taxpayers in certain areas that have been absolutely wiped out. Instead of being required to file in March or April, depending on whether the payer is a business or individual, all taxpayers in certain regions will have till August 28, 2006. Further, the IRS is waiving all late filing penalties on people in the impacted areas even if they dont file by the August 28, 2006 deadline.
This automatic extension represents a very positive move by the IRS, but readers should keep in mind it doesnt apply to all areas. Only the most severely damaged areas get to take advantage of the extension. Those areas are in Louisiana: Cameron, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and St. Tammany. The automatic extension is also applied to individuals living in the Mississippi counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson.
For impacted taxpayers who live outside of these areas, the IRS is willing to grant more time to file taxes. Said taxpayers, however, must contact...