Practice Management

Your clients may want to appeal their assessments

Four firms showcase how they are becoming more social

Some taxpayers seeking a quick refund may have to wait longer than usual this year as the Internal Revenue Service tries to stop criminals who steal others’ identities and file fraudulent returns.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee is asking the Internal Revenue Service why its Web site continues to provide confusing information about the IRS’s recently invalidated tax preparer regulation requirements.

Without some kind of accepted certification program, the taxpaying public has no way of knowing if a person who says that they are a professional tax preparer has any training or experience. The answer would be some kind of voluntary “certification program” where a tax preparer could receive a universally accepted professional designation based on testing or credentials.

Marcum LLP has merged the offices of Parent, McLaughlin & Nangle CPAs, Inc. into its New England practice, effective immediately.

The Internal Revenue Service is promising more video conferencing assistance for taxpayers, social media tools and an improved Web site as it launched tax season Wednesday, along with stepped-up efforts to protect taxpayers from tax refund fraud and identity theft.

A federal court has denied H&R Block’s effort to stop Intuit from continuing to air a pair of TV commercials for TurboTax that comically suggested tax prep franchise employees worked as plumbers and clothing store clerks outside of tax season.

Gary R. St. Pierre CPAs, a firm based in Mount Prospect, Ill., has merged with Michael Silver & Co.

Prager & Fenton LLP and Metis Group LLC, have merged. The two firms will now operate under the name Prager Metis International LLC.