Shaw prepares for 2011 tax filing season Published Jan. 5, 2011 By Mr. Edward Joyce 20th Fighter Wing Judge Advocate SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- This year the tax center (located in the community center across from the bowling alley) will open Jan. 24 to 27 and will close for the unit compliance inspection. They will be open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. The start of the 2011 filing season begins in January for most taxpayers. However, changes in the law require the IRS to reprogram its processing systems for three provisions that were extended in the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010. People who will claim any of these three items: the state and local sales tax deduction, higher education tuition and fees deduction or educator expenses deduction; as well as those taxpayers who itemize deductions on Form 1040 Schedule A; will need to wait to file their tax returns until mid-to-late February when tax processing systems shoould be ready. The IRS will announce a specific date in the near future when it can start processing tax returns impacted by the late tax law changes. In the interim, people in the affected categories can start working on their tax returns, but they should not submit their returns until IRS systems are ready to process the new tax law changes. The IRS urged taxpayers to use e-file instead of paper tax forms to minimize confusion over the recent tax changes and ensure accurate tax returns.