The cheering has died down now.
Taxes are largely off the front page.
But for the vast majority of Americans, the true effects of the 1997-98 changes in the tax laws are only now being felt. And changes there were. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, and the Tax and Trade Relief Extension of 1998, along with assorted other tax provisions that found their way into various spending and budget bills, add up to the biggest pack of changes in nearly a decade. The timing of the changes is the result of congressional budgeteering. 10 Changes Most Likely to Affect the Average Taxpayer 1.