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When the American Institute of CPAs' top tech gurus sat down to coordinate its annual top technology initiatives survey for 2007, they decided to broaden its focus to identify technology issues - not just products - in an effort to bring a more practical bent to the project."It's not from a 'gee-whiz-wow' perspective," explained David Cieslak, CPA, CITP and chair of the AICPA's Top 10 Technology Initiatives Task Force for the second year. "Each of these [issues] are framed as an initiative that you could put your arms around and pursue as an organization. We came at it from a fresh angle."

The decision by the Senate to attach small business tax relief to its minimum-wage bill ensured the inclusion by House lawmakers of a similar package in their minimum-wage measure.The catalyst for the bill was the Senate linkage of small business relief to the minimum-wage boost. Although House Democrats initially threatened to "blue slip" the Senate bill - send it back because it contains tax provisions, violating the constitutional requirement that revenue legislation originate in the House - they eventually acted on H.R. 976, a bill that contained some provisions similar to the Senate measure.

In spite of legal woes over its refund anticipation loan program, tax preparation services giant H&R Block recently announced that it had passed the 1 million mark with its tax refund card - a figure that it said could reach 3 million by the close of tax season.Block's Emerald MasterCard, a prepaid debit card issued through the company's H&R Block Bank, is issued to customers who are expecting a tax refund. Rather than waiting for refund checks or arranging for direct deposits of a refund to a bank account, taxpayers can acquire the card when the tax return is prepared.

An item in People in the Jan. 29-Feb. 11, 2007, issue (page 26) about Frederick Kostecki's appointment to the PCPS Executive Committee of the American Institute of CPAs misidentified his firm; he is, in fact, a partner at RubinBrown LLP. Our apologies for the error.The Feb. 12-25, 2007, review of business plan software (page 18) incorrectly listed the price of Palo Alto Software's Business Plan Pro Premier. The correct price is $199.95.

SENATORS TARGET TAX HAVENSWASHINGTON - A trio of senators has proposed legislation targeting overseas tax havens. Such havens cost the U.S. upwards of $100 billion a year in lost tax revenues, according to Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Susan Sheridan-Austin, who began her distinguished career as one of the first 25 employees of Microsoft, and who later rose to the role of general manager at Sage Accpac, passed away in February after a two-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer.She was 51.

What seems like a century ago, my father arrived home one night with a Nehru jacket. The Nehru was a single-breasted jacket from India that sported a band collar and was often accompanied by a string of beads. It straddled the line between hip and conformity. The problem was that by the time my father bought one, the Nehru had long faded out of style.I learned two things from Pop's sartorial misstep. One was to stick to things that never go out of fashion, like T-shirts and blue jeans, and the other was to jump on something before it has the chance to go out of style.

In March, the working group assembled by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board will meet in London for the first time to make a comprehensive review of lease accounting rules.Because transparency has been seriously compromised under the current rules, Grant Thornton believes that this review is critical and comes not a moment too soon.

As managing partner of a 60-person firm in Abilene, Texas, whose clients are generally located in West Texas, one might wonder why I feel strongly that CPA mobility is a critical issue for the profession. By CPA mobility, I mean the ability to easily practice across state lines and serve the needs of clients without an undue licensing or regulatory burden.Although the majority of my firm's clients are located in Texas, not all are. And many of those in Texas conduct business or file tax returns in other states. It is important to our practice that we be able to deliver services beyond our state's borders on a timely basis. Unfortunately, the current system of licensing and regulation for CPAs no longer fits with the world in which we practice.

Backed by a 20-year resume in claims experience, Redwood City, Calif.-based Camico Mutual Insurance Co. has identified the areas and sources of frequent tax claims lodged against CPAs.With tax season in full swing, here are some of the fruits of the company's experience with practitioner claims - and things to watch for as you wade through all those 1040s.