FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Cory Fong, Tax Commissioner, 701-328-2770
Tuesday, September 8, 2006

TAX DEPARTMENT PROVIDES CONTACT INFORMATION FOR IRS IN RESPONSE TO TELEPHONE TAX QUESTIONS

BISMARCK, N.D. – The State Tax Department today offered contact information for North Dakota taxpayers who have questions about the recent IRS refund announcement that consumers will be allowed to claim a refund on their next year’s tax return for telephone taxes paid between 2003 and 2006.

The tax on telephone services was first imposed in 1898. Recent federal court decisions declared the tax invalid and the government stopped collecting the tax on long-distance calls. The tax is still applicable to local-only service. Following these decisions, the IRS announced last week that consumers will be allowed to claim a standard $30 to $60 refund on next year’s tax return. In general, any individual, business, or nonprofit organization that paid long-distance tax for service billed after February 28, 2003 and before August 1, 2006 is eligible to request the refund.

The standard amount is available for individuals to claim on their 2006 return. Because the standard amount is not available for businesses and nonprofits, they must fill out Form 8913 and base their refund on the actual amount of tax they paid.

Economists at the U.S. Department of the Treasury estimate the amount refunded to individuals will be about $10 billion.

Additional information on the IRS telephone tax refund program is available from the IRS web site at www.irs.gov. Consumers who have questions about the program may call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Or consumers may call their local IRS office in Bismarck at 701-221-5834; Fargo at 701 232 4710; Grand Forks at 701-746-5283; or Minot at 701-839-7741.

Comments and suggestions for simplifying the refund process for businesses and nonprofits should be e-mailed to Telephone.Tax@irs.gov. The deadline for these comments is Sept. 15, 2006.