A lot of people are facing the AMT tax now that were never intended to pay AMT tax. Some of the most common triggers are bonuses, exemptions (more than 3 children), stock options, large capital gains, large state income tax deduction, large medical expenses, etc.
Here are a couple of articles I found that might help:
http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles...asics/6647.asp
http://www.smartmoney.com/tax/filing....cfm?story=amt
http://www.turbotax.com/articles/FAQ...inimumTax.html
Unfortunately, fixing the AMT problem doesn't seem to be a priority for politicians right now, so don't look for any relief soon (although I really hope I'm wrong about that).
Good luck.