Paul Coverdell: “I do want to reiterate that this legislation does three very specific things to bring comfort to our troops in the…”

“I do want to reiterate that this legislation does three very specific things to bring comfort to our troops in the combat zone. It exempts all U.S. troops serving in the Yugoslavian theater of operations from being taxed on their hazardous duty pay. They will not be taxed on that. Hopefully, that will help them deal with the extra costs related to performing this duty. No. 2, it will grant a 180-day filing extension for their 1998 income tax return, and the 180 days begins on the day they leave the combat zone. Third, it exempts our troops from the 3 percent excise tax levied on long-distance telephone calls. We will notify the Pentagon, as I said, later this afternoon, and hope they will assist us in making sure the troops in the operation theaters are aware of this so it can help bring some comfort. I know all of us in America understand the confusion that surrounds tax day. I have been on the phone about five times. So, I hope mitigating that pressure will be of help and make it a little easier for them as they perform the missions they have been assigned by the United States of America.”