State gives Utahns 2 extra days to file taxes

Along with the legislative tax cuts approved this session, lawmakers also have approved a bill that gives Utahns two extra days to file and pay their state income tax this year.

SB266 extends the deadline to April 17, which coincides with the federal deadline. Sen. Wayne Neiderhauser, R-Sandy, sponsored the bill with full support of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

The District of Columbia declared April 16 as a public holiday that required the Internal Revenue Service to extend its deadline to a day later. The holiday celebrates the day in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which ended slavery in the district and freed more than 3,000 slaves.

The new deadline applies to 2006 state and federal income tax returns, whether they are filed electronically or on paper. However, Utah State Tax Commission chairwoman Pam Hendrickson encourages taxpayers to file electronically if possible.

For additional information visit www.tax.utah.gov.