WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that consumers can claim a standard $30 to $60 refund next year for a tax on long-distance telephone calls that the government declared invalid.

Telephone customers had been paying the 3 percent federal excise tax on local and long-distance service. The government stopped collecting the tax this month after businesses repeatedly fought it in court and won.

In their 2006 returns, taxpayers will be able to claim a refund on long-distance telephone taxes paid since March 2003.

The standard refund starts at $30 and increases by $10 for each additional exemption claimed on a tax return, up to $60. A married couple with two dependent children, for example, could claim a $60 refund.