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Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Peterson Call on IRS to Extend Federal Tax Filing Deadline for Minnesotans Affected by Floods

Says citizens of northwestern Minnesota deserve extra time as they battle recording-breaking flood levels

April 1, 2009

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Collin Peterson (MN-7) sent a letter today to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue requesting a federal income tax filing extension for Minnesota citizens in the counties affected by the flood waters in the Red River Valley.  Daily life in the Red River Valley has been uprooted as the region deals with an unprecedented rise in water levels.  While the region grapples with snow storms and strong winds, schools have suspended classes, thousands have worked around-the-clock to protect the city and many have watched helplessly as their homes have succumbed to the rising water. 

“Minnesotans work hard and play by the rules, and right now their priority is to protect their homes and communities,” said Senator Klobuchar.  “A federal income tax filing extension will allow them to continue to fend off these flood waters without feeling pressured by the current deadline.”

“It’s obvious that it makes sense to do this and I really don’t know why it hasn’t been done already,” Peterson said.

In the letter, Klobuchar and Peterson pushed Douglas H. Shulman, Commissioner of Internal Revenue at the Internal Revenue Service to grant a federal income tax filing extension for Minnesotans in the counties that received Presidential Disaster Declarations:  Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Traverse, and Wilkin. 

Klobuchar and Peterson asked that the extension be granted as soon as possible to alleviate any concerns that these Minnesotans might have.  They called the residents working to protect their communities ‘heroes’ and noted that even though the Red River has begun to recede, a snow storm has moved into the area and is expected to increase water levels again.

After urging Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) officials to quickly consider Minnesota’s request for expedited federal disaster assistance in areas affected by flood waters, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced late last week that President Obama had granted Minnesota's request for federal disaster assistance in areas affected by flood waters and declared a state of emergency in Minnesota.

Klobuchar and Peterson toured the affected areas last weekend meeting with FEMA, local officials and volunteers.

Full text of the letter:

The Honorable Douglas H. Shulman
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
Internal Revenue Service
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Washington, DC 20224

Dear Commissioner Shulman:

            We write to you today to urge the Internal Revenue Service to grant an extension to file federal income tax returns for those citizens affected by the flood waters in the Red River Valley.  Over the past weeks, communities along the Red River have been threatened by rising water levels.  Many communities had to be evacuated and many homes have been destroyed. 

During these difficult times, the residents of these communities have acted heroically.  They have been filling millions of sandbags and working around the clock to protect their homes and their communities. While the river has begun to recede, their work is not done.  A snow storm has moved into the area and it is feared that water levels will rise again. 

Right now, the priority of the residents of the Red River Valley is rightly protecting their communities.  Therefore, we ask you to grant a federal income tax filing extension to residents living in the Minnesota counties that have received Presidential Disaster Declarations.  There is a clear precedent for such actions in areas affected by disasters. 

These Minnesotans work hard and play by the rules, and they should not have to worry about filing their taxes when they are worrying about losing their homes.  A filing extension will bring much-needed relief to these families as they continue their work to protect their communities from flood waters.  We urge you to grant this extension as soon as possible to remove this concern from the minds of residents still coping with the floods and their aftermath. 


Sincerely,


Amy Klobuchar
Collin Peterson



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