Practice Management

Accounting firm Goldstein Lieberman has introduced a consulting team to help business clients cope with the recession.

Accounting firm consolidator cbiz has agreed to acquire Mahoney Cohen, a New York-based CPA and business advisory firm, in an acquisition that is expected to contribute about $55 million in annual revenue.Terms were not disclosed. At press time, the deal was scheduled to close Dec. 31.

The Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council's 2008 Report contains more than 70 recommendations on a wide variety of issues affecting tax administration. The recommendations focus on communication, relief and assistance due to the economic downturn."It's refreshing to see that communications are a concern," said Robert Kerr, senior director of government relations at the National Association of Enrolled Agents. "The IRS is charged with a bifurcated task - enforcement and education. In both realms they have to communicate fairly complex things."

E-FILING SURGES 12 PERCENTWashington, D.C. - Individual taxpayers e-filed nearly 90 million tax returns this year, an increase of more than 12 percent compared to last year, a record according to the IRS.

One technique for giving better focus to tax planning in a new year is to look back at the old one. Our column for this issue of Accounting Today uses this strategy, looking at significant 2008 tax developments from the perspective of their impact on tax planning in 2009.In examining 2008 developments for this review, we found that our results fit neatly into a Top 10 list - coincidentally, long a staple of New Year's forecasting. Our list gathers significant 2008 tax developments based on their impact on certain issues or themes. Our list focuses only on those developments that have an impact on strategies that may be implemented in 2009 - that's the reason why a significant amount of tax legislation didn't make the list, but also the reason why some letter rulings and similar types of developments made the cut.

We tend to associate successful CPA firms with interesting clients that offer high-visibility products and innovative services. At least for me, that image has not typically included firms that handle government or public-sector work. That's whyI was so pleasantly surprised to make the acquaintance of Tucson, Ariz.-based Heinfeld, Meech & Co. PC.

A Tax Court judge has ruled that taxes on elderly gamblers' casino winnings are not discriminatory.

The Treasury Department plans to purchase $5 billion in equity from GMAC, and lend another $1 billion to the automobile-financing company.

Accounting firm Eisner LLP has formed a Tax Recovery Assistance Task Force to help investors who have suffered losses as a result of Bernard Madoff's fraudulent investment scheme.

Accounting firm Rives & Associates has merged in Allen & Woodall, another firm in North Carolina.