The Internal Revenue Service has announced that it will significantly reduce the number of tax forms and tax filing instruction publications that it will make available for distribution through local public libraries.

According to the IRS, every year there is an increase in the number of taxpayers using software and online programs to prepare their federal tax returns. Last filing season, 95 percent of taxpayers filed their tax returns electronically. As a result, the number of forms and publications that the IRS produces and makes available to the public will be reduced again this year.

The tax forms that will be available to libraries in limited quantities include:

• Form 1040
• Form 1040A
• Form 1040EZ

Instruction publications for Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ will not be available, but can be accessed online or by calling the IRS.

The number of State of Ohio tax forms sent to public libraries also will be reduced by 75 percent this year, which means supplies will be available for a short time only.