Three-dimensional Helios plasma and field data are used to investigate the relative changes in direction of the velocity and magnetic field vectors across tangential discontinuities, (TDs) in the solar wind at solar distances of 0.29--0.50 AU. It is found for tangential discontinuities with both Δv and ΔB/B large that Δv and ΔB are closely aligned with each other, in agreement with the unexpected results of previous studies of tangential discontinuities observed at 1 AU and beyond. It is shown that this effect probably results from the destruction by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of TDs for which Δv and ΔB are not aligned. The observed decrease in the number of interplanetary discontinuities with increasing solar distance may be associated with the growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability with decreasing Alfv¿n speed.