U.S. troops in Afghanistan to get tax breaks

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan will receive tax breaks and an automatic extension to file their taxes, thanks to an executive order signed into law by President Bush.

Enlisted service members and warrant officers serving in the Operation Enduring Freedom will pay no income taxes on all basic pay and special pay, according to a statement on the Pentagon's Web site.

Defense personnel serving in Afghanistan or the airspace above it are eligible.

Also eligible are those who are directly supporting the operations in Afghanistan from other locations, provided they get imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay.

The order becomes retroactive as of September 19, the day U.S. troops first started deployment in Afghanistan. Accordingly, eligible personnel can expect a refund on taxes already paid and future withholding to stop.