For 2008, personal exemptions and standard deductions will rise, tax brackets will widen and workers will be able to save more for retirement, thanks to inflation adjustments announced today by the Internal Revenue Service.

IR-2007-172, Oct. 18, 2007

By law, the dollar amounts for a variety of tax provisions must be revised each year to keep pace with inflation. As a result, more than three dozen tax benefits, affecting virtually every taxpayer, are being adjusted for 2008. Key changes affecting 2008 returns, filed by most taxpayers in early 2009, A few of the changes are:

• Participants in most employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and 403(b) plans for employees of public schools and certain tax-exempt organizations can contribute up to $15,500, unchanged from 2007.  Individuals, age 50 or over, can make an additional contribution of up to $5,000, also unchanged from 2007.

• Individuals participating in SIMPLE retirement plans can contribute $10,500, unchanged from 2007.  Those, age 50 or over, can make an additional contribution of up to $2,500, also unchanged from 2007.

• The annual contribution limit for most defined contribution plans rises to $46,000, up from $45,000 in 2007.

For the complete list of changes view the IRS website.