| Following Katrina, the IRS acted quickly to relieve | | | | FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) the |
| victims of any tax burdens. One step was to extend | | | | tax relief is automatic and no action is required to be |
| any tax filing dates to late October and now those | | | | taken. Of course, you need to make sure FEMA has |
| dates have been extended again. | | | | actually gotten around to visiting your area. |
| Emergency Tax Relief Act | | | | If FEMA has designated your area a "public |
| On September 23, 2005, President Bush signed the | | | | assistance" area, you are actually going to have to |
| Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 into law | | | | contact the IRS to claim relief under the Act. To do |
| with massive bipartisan support. The Act contains | | | | this, you must simply write "Hurricane Katrina" in red ink |
| numerous provisions with one of the most important | | | | on the top of any tax filings with the IRS. If you're not |
| being the extension of tax filing deadlines. Specifically, | | | | sure what to do, you can contact the IRS disaster |
| victims of Hurricane Katrina have been granted an | | | | hotline at 866-562-5227. |
| automatic extension until February 28, 2006. The | | | | Obviously, taxes and the IRS are and should be low |
| extension covers the filing of taxes, paying of taxes | | | | priority items for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The IRS, |
| and other related tax items | | | | however, should be commended for taking immediate |
| To benefit from the Tax Relief Act, hurricane victims | | | | action to grant tax relief instead of staggering around |
| need to take the following steps. For victims located in | | | | like a drunken sailor as we observed with FEMA. |
| areas designated as "individual assistance areas" by | | | | |