WebCPA Staff

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board continues to encounter resistance in inspecting foreign accounting firms that audit the books of non-U.S. companies whose stock trades on U.S. exchanges.

Sally Louise Crystal, the owner of a Costa Mesa, Calif., business called Sal the 1040 Gal, was arrested Tuesday on charges of preparing false tax returns.

H&R Block has closed about 400 of its “under-performing” tax offices out of its network of 11,000 retail tax locations, and eliminated approximately 400 positions throughout the organization.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they are either a little or far behind financially in terms of preparing for retirement, according to a new survey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed rules that would pause trading in certain individual stocks if the price moves 10 percent or more in a five-minute period.

Trust in financial institutions has been severely eroded by the financial crisis, but a new survey has found that the majority of Americans find statements by spokespeople from accounting firms believable.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman indicated that small charities that missed the May 17 filing deadline for filing their Form 990 may still be able to keep their tax-exempt status.

Sage North America has introduced Peachtree 2011 and Peachtree Quantum 2011, with new features for service billing and job reporting at small businesses.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Schapiro tried to explode some of the “myths” about the agency’s drawn-out convergence of U.S. GAAP with International Financial Reporting Standards, insisting the SEC is committed to global accounting standards and not simply protecting America’s “parochial” interests.

The Internal Revenue Service has posted a form on its Web site that employers can use to claim a payroll tax exemption for hiring new employees under the recently passed HIRE Act.

Microsoft has introduced software to connect its Dynamics AX enterprise resource planning software with rival SAP.

Online bill management and payment service Bill.com has become available in the Google Apps Marketplace, an online storefront for Google Apps products and services.

The U.S. District Court in Houston has entered a final judgment in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s civil action against Robert S. Furst, a former senior investment banker at Merrill Lynch who was in charge of the banking relationship with Enron.

State tax revenues fell 8.9 percent nationwide from fiscal year 2008 to 2009, with 45 states seeing a decline in state-level tax collections, according to a Tax Foundation analysis of new U.S. Census data.

The National Society of Accountants has added KineticD’s online storage, recovery and access service to its member benefits program.

The Internal Revenue Service needs to improve the security of a Web portal used by tax preparers to electronically file tax returns and submit and retrieve other tax-related information, according to a new report.

The New York State Society of CPAs has appointed Joanne S. Barry as its new executive director.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance on the recently passed health care reform bill to clarify that small businesses receiving state health care tax credits can still qualify for the full federal health care tax credit, and they can receive the health care tax credit not only for regular health insurance but also for add-on dental and vision coverage.

Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges has reportedly paid off a tax lien filed last month by the IRS for $23,997.

The Internal Revenue Service needs to beef up tax compliance efforts for nonresident aliens who earn money in the U.S., according to a new government report.