Bill Archer: “Mr. Speaker, I am proud to bring before the House today H.R. 1376, a bill to extend combat zone tax benefits to U.S.…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to bring before the House today H.R. 1376, a bill to extend combat zone tax benefits to U.S. troops serving in Operation Allied Force. H.R. 1376 will provide well-deserved tax relief to those troops, including, first, tax-free treatment of salaries earned while in the combat zone; second, a 180-day tax and filing suspension for our troops and those supporting them, the 180 days would be marked from the date the mission has ended; and third, an exemption from the telephone excise tax for calls made by our troops from the combat zone. Mr. Speaker, our men and women serving in Kosovo should be focused entirely on keeping themselves safe from harm and achieving their mission. Certainly the last thing they and their families need to worry about right now is dealing with the IRS. They also deserve the favorable tax treatment that we provide for military personnel serving in combat areas, because the vivid footage and photographs from Yugoslavia clearly show that this is indeed a combat zone. I am glad that President Clinton agrees.”