By LARRY MARGASAK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – It will take a little longer for some taxpayers to file their 2010 returns, but it will be worth the wait for beneficiaries of a new tax law: college students, teachers and residents of states that have sales taxes but no income tax.
Thanks to a December tax package that was hailed as a forerunner of a bipartisan spirit in government, the Internal Revenue Service needs to reprogram computers for new college tuition breaks, teachers who buy classroom supplies with their own money, and Americans who live where there’s no state and local income tax to deduct.
The IRS said Thursday that it will be mid- to late February before it can accept returns that apply for those tax breaks. However, delays will be minimal for taxpayers who already itemize deductions, because they normally have to wait for their financial documents.