Tax Deadline Approaches

The post office in the Read ‘n Post Store on Coast Village Road is the only local post office that will remain open late on tax deadline day, Tuesday, April 17.

“We have received permission from the U.S. Postal Service to extend our hours on tax deadline day,” said Read ‘n Post owner-manager Jan Hendrickson. “We hope this will be a helpful convenience to many people in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, and the surrounding area.”

Although many people file their taxes electronically online, a significant number of taxpayers still fill out paper returns, and sometimes they need extra time to mail them at the last minute, Hendrickson explained. All items mailed at the Read ‘n Post before 9 pm will be postmarked April 17, the deadline this year for sending both federal and California state tax returns. Stamps will also be available for purchase until 9 pm on April 17. However, large boxes and other packages cannot be accepted after the normal 6 pm closing time.

To soften the blow of paying taxes, the Read ‘n Post store will offer an all-day, 10-percent “Tax Day Discount” on greeting cards and gift items on April 17. “Paying taxes can sometimes be an unhappy experience, so we hope our discount on cards and gifts will help turn some frowns into smiles,” said Hendrickson. Read ‘n Post is located at 1026-B Coast Village Road in the Montecito Country Mart, near the traffic roundabout where Hot Springs Road and Coast Village Road meet. In addition to housing a post office, the Read ‘n Post store also sells greeting cards, gifts, books, magazines, newspapers, and other items.

Tax deadline day normally falls on April 15. But this year, because April 15 is a Sunday and April 16 is a holiday that is observed in the District of Columbia, taxpayers have an extra two-day grace period. The store will be open on April 17 until 9 pm.