<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 B000000 12/31/96
000 C000000 711600
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 U
001 A000000 SCUDDER TAX FREE TRUST
001 B000000 811-3632
001 C000000 6172952567
002 A000000 TWO INTERNATIONAL PLACE
002 B000000 BOSTON
002 C000000 MA
002 D010000 02110
002 D020000 4103
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 Y
007 B000000 1
020 A000001 MERRILL LYNCH
020 C000001 5
020 C000002 0
020 C000003 0
020 C000004 0
020 C000005 0
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 5
022 A000001 MERRILL LYNCH
022 C000001 92871
022 D000001 72556
022 A000002 SMITH BARNEY SHEARSON
022 C000002 51624
022 D000002 67077
022 A000003 PAINE WEBBER
022 C000003 53510
022 D000003 45867
022 A000004 LEHMAN BROTHERS SECURITIES
022 C000004 40281
022 D000004 43319
022 A000005 RAYMOND JAMES
022 C000005 7273
022 D000005 17776
022 A000006 DILLON, READ & CO. INC.
<PAGE> PAGE 2
022 C000006 10932
022 D000006 11005
022 A000007 NUVEEN JOHN & CO.
022 C000007 8572
022 D000007 10164
022 A000008 A.G. EDWARDS & SONS
022 C000008 8400
022 D000008 8400
022 A000009 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES
022 C000009 7108
022 D000009 7814
022 A000010 GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
022 C000010 13276
022 D000010 0
023 C000000 332914
023 D000000 355643
077 A000000 Y
080 A00AA00 ICI MUTUL INSURANCE COMPANY
080 C00AA00 60000
081 A00AA00 Y
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082 A00AA00 N
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083 A00AA00 N
083 B00AA00 0
084 A00AA00 N
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085 B00AA00 N
028 A010100 9229
028 A020100 0
028 A030100 1685
028 A040100 13859
028 B010100 11040
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<PAGE> PAGE 3
028 F030100 1606
028 F040100 13584
028 G010100 53115
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062 J000100 0.0
062 K000100 0.0
062 L000100 0.0
062 M000100 0.0
062 N000100 0.0
062 O000100 97.9
062 P000100 0.0
062 Q000100 0.0
062 R000100 0.0
063 A000100 0
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064 A000100 N
064 B000100 N
070 A010100 Y
070 A020100 N
070 B010100 N
070 B020100 N
070 C010100 Y
070 C020100 N
070 D010100 N
070 D020100 N
070 E010100 Y
070 E020100 Y
070 F010100 N
070 F020100 N
070 G010100 Y
070 G020100 N
070 H010100 N
070 H020100 N
070 I010100 Y
070 I020100 N
070 J010100 Y
070 J020100 N
070 K010100 Y
070 K020100 N
<PAGE> PAGE 4
070 L010100 N
070 L020100 N
070 M010100 N
070 M020100 N
070 N010100 N
070 N020100 N
070 O010100 N
070 O020100 N
070 P010100 Y
070 P020100 N
070 Q010100 N
070 Q020100 N
070 R010100 N
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071 A000100 93181
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071 C000100 675902
071 D000100 14
072 A000100 12
072 B000100 36973
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072 M000100 38
072 N000100 29
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<PAGE> PAGE 5
073 A010100 0.5300
073 A020100 0.0000
073 B000100 0.0000
073 C000100 0.0000
074 A000100 4
074 B000100 0
074 C000100 13654
074 D000100 631555
074 E000100 0
074 F000100 0
074 G000100 0
074 H000100 0
074 I000100 0
074 J000100 1085
074 K000100 0
074 L000100 9943
074 M000100 0
074 N000100 656246
074 O000100 3276
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SIGNATURE THOMAS F. MCDONOUGH
TITLE SECRETARY
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
This schedule contains summary financial information
extracted from the Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund Annual
Report for the period ended December 31, 1996 and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to such financial
statements.
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 2
<NAME> SCUDDER MEDIUM TERM TAX FREE FUND
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-START> JAN-01-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 620,158,957
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 645,208,635
<RECEIVABLES> 11,028,231
<ASSETS-OTHER> 9,068
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 656,245,934
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 3,276,166
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 2,465,687
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 650,504,081
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 624,464,115
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 58,325,377
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 63,217,191
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 1,138,994
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 24,900,972
<NET-ASSETS> 650,504,081
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 0
<INTEREST-INCOME> 36,973,462
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 4,884,414
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 32,089,048
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 1,647,772
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> (7,456,056)
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 26,280,764
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (32,089,048)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (1,232,175)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 9,072,101
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (15,783,552)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 1,819,637
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> (61,105,493)
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 747,469
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,879,293
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 4,884,414
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 675,901,645
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.26
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.53
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> (0.09)
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.53)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (0.02)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 11.15
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 0.72
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
Coopers Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
& Lybrand
a professional services firm
Report of Independent Accountants
To the Trustees of Scudder Tax Free Trust and
the Shareholders of Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund:
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements and
financial highlights of Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund for the year ended
December 31, 1996 we considered its internal control structure, including
procedures for safeguarding securities, in order to determine our auditing
procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements
and financial highlights and to comply with the requirements of Form N-SAR, not
to provide assurance on the internal control structure.
The management of Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund is responsible for
establishing and maintaining an internal control structure. In fulfilling this
responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the
expected benefits and related costs of internal control structure policies and
procedures. Two of the objectives of an internal control structure are to
provide management with reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are
safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition and that
transactions are executed in accordance with management's authorization and
recorded properly to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure,
errors or irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of any
evaluation of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of
the design and operations may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not
necessarily disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be
material weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the
design or operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not
reduce to a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in
amounts that would be material in relation to the financial statements and
financial highlights being audited may occur and not be detected within a timely
period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions.
However, we noted no matters involving the internal control structure, including
procedures for safeguarding securities, that we consider to be material
weaknesses, as defined above, as of December 31, 1996.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of
management of Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund and the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
/s/Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
Boston, Massachusetts COOPERS & LYBRAND L.L.P.
February 5, 1997
Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. is a member of Coopers & Lybrand International, a
limited liability association in corporated in Switzerland.
