IRS to reduce mileage deduction for 2010: will you owe more?

Updated

The IRS made an announcement this month that is a matter of pennies but could significantly affect some taxpayers' 2010 amount owed; by reducing the allowance for mileage deductions.

Claiming the mileage traveled for business is, after all, one of the favorite ways to rack up deductions, which you must declare on Schedules A and Form 2106 or 2106-EZ. For outside salespeople, pizza delivery people, and others who spend a lot of time on the road for work, it's huge, and it adds up fast; with 2009 rates at 55 cents per mile for business travel (anything done for pay -- going on appointments, taking your boss to the airport, going to the post office, etc. -- except your commute) an average employee who drove 10,000 miles for work could save $1,000 in taxes. The deduction rates for driving for medical purposes or moving, at 24 cents a mile, weren't shabby, either, and meant that many taxpayers could make a big reduction in their taxes owed simply by writing down mileage.

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