WASHINGTON (AP) – Six eastern states and the District of Columbia will get an extra day, until April 17, to file their 2006 returns, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.

Most of the country must file and pay taxes due by April 16 next year because April 15 falls on a Sunday. But those states served by the Andover, Mass., IRS processing center will receive an extra day because April 16 is Patriot’s Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts.

The affected states are Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont as well as Washington D.C.

The April 17 deadline will apply to 2006 income tax returns, whether filed electronically or on paper.

, and requests for an automatic six-month filing extension.

AP-ES-11-08-06 1212EST