By Mike Tucker, CPA Everyone is concerned about gridlock in Washington; Nothing seems to get accomplished, including tax legislation. After the recent 2014 election, the Republicans now control the Senate as well as the House, which may mean that the gridlock continues. However, let’s look at the bright side. Newly elected members of Congress are […]
Successful CPA firms find a way to strike the right balance between performing a high quality audit and making a rate of return on the invested time. If one objective is given too much weight, over-auditing or under-auditing may result. The following is a list of core competencies that an audit must be willing to […]
Opportunities for cross-border work between the United States and Canada, the largest trading partner of the U.S., are abundant. With this comes a unique challenge for CPAs, as they must be able to navigate their clients though different regulations required by Canada. Many tax practitioners are currently advising clients who are doing business in Canada […]
One of the non-tax advantages of qualified plans is that they are not subject to being claimed by any creditors. If a taxpayer has financial troubles before retirement, they may lose other, individually owned assets, but qualified individual retirement accounts (IRA) cannot be touched. However, once the money has been distributed from the plan, they […]
Surgent offers many different kinds of continuing professional education for those in the accounting industry. Webinars, while interactive, require you to set aside a block of time to participate. If you’d rather do it on your own time, consider doing self-study. Here are four ways self-study easily integrates into your busy schedule. Set the pace […]
Today, the Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) will release a new and updated Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS). In 1979, the world of compilation and review services saw a significant change in operation procedures when the Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services No. 1 was first released. 35 […]
The Affordable Care Act has forever changed the healthcare system in the United States. It’s also forever changed the tax codes. The ACA was passed on March 23, 2010 and went into effect on Oct. 1, 2013. Changes that came with the ACA included improving the quality of healthcare and lowering healthcare costs, increasing access […]
Recent tax changes require tax advisors to engage in extensive tax planning. Be sure to check out this popular course presented by Jack Surgent, CPA.
The practice of tax law can be reduced to one phrase: the application of a general statute to specific facts. See the Anheuser-Busch case below. In 2008, InBev N.V. acquired Anheuser-Busch, including a subsidiary called Metal Container. In 2009, InBev sold four of the Metal Container plants to Ball Corporation. Under one of the […]
When you assume representation of an exempt organization, consider suggesting that you perform a tax audit of the organization for all open years. When the representative of the exempt organization replies that the organization does not pay income tax, you’ll reply ‘generally no’ (questions of UBIT aside) but that your main concern is payroll taxes. […]
