TAX FILE: Vehicle reimbursement rate drops

The Internal Revenue Service announced on December 2, 2005, that the standard reimbursement rate for business use of personal automobiles, vans, pickups and panel trucks would be 44.5¢/mi., beginning January 1, 2006. That is different from both of the rates that applied in 2005. For January through August 2005, the rate was 40.5¢/mi. When gasoline prices soared to more than $3/gal. in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the IRS suddenly changed the rate to 48.5¢/gal. for travel between September 1 and December 31, 2005. At the same time, the agency warned that it might change the rate again in 2006. The rapid decline in gasoline prices from early September to November led the agency to recalculate the rate. Further details are contained in Revenue Procedure 2005-78, online at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-05-78.pdf.