October Tax Deadline
Dolores Kong
10/14/04

For those extreme procrastinators who still haven't
filed their 2003 federal or Massachusetts income
taxes yet, the official final deadline is October
15th.

More than one million taxpayers around the country
haven't filed yet (according to the Internal Revenue
Service) and could face a late filing penalty of up
to five percent per month of any unpaid tax if they
don't file by the deadline. Taxpayers in
presidentially declared disaster areas may have an
exception, however. So if you were affected by the
hurricanes, see if you qualify for federal disaster
area tax relief at:
www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=129002,00.html

In Massachusetts, taxpayers who got an automatic six
month extension in April face the October 15
deadline as well. For last-minute federal forms, go
to www.irs.gov. For last-minute state forms, go to
www.massdor.com.

And next year, try to file by the April 15th
deadline, or else you'll just prolong the agony into
October!