Your taxes are still due even if the government shuts down

As the U.S. government moves to the brink of a shutdown with budget talks stalled, taxpayers should remember one thing as tax day nears: Tax collection may be considered “essential.”

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman last week told a congressional hearing he was in talks with the White House budget agency about contingency plans in the event of a government shutdown.

Taxes are due this year on April 18.

Lawmakers and the Obama administration continued talks yesterday to avert a shutdown, racing against expiration of a temporary government funding measure that ends this Friday.

When the IRS Commissioner was asked about the potential for a shutdown last week, talks seemed productive.

“Everybody is hopeful that there won’t be a shutdown,” Shulman said, noting negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House were ongoing.

An IRS spokeswoman could not speculate on how the agency would handle a shutdown this time.

Shutdown could hurt economy

President Barack Obama warned yesterday that a federal government shutdown would seriously disrupt the U.S. economy, after Republican and Democratic leaders failed to make headway on a budget deal.

With the clock ticking toward a government shutdown on Friday, Obama said he would call negotiators from both parties back to the White House if necessary to break an impasse.