Outsourcing should join the list of taboo topics that shouldn’t be discussed on a first date, along with money and politics. Just saying the word invokes snarls on the faces of anti-outsourcing business people and professionals across the nation, mostly due to the widespread negative perceptions associated with poorly paid, undereducated overseas support staff “stealing” jobs and potentially confidential information from Americans. Some tax software vendors, including Intuit and ATX/Kleinrock, faced harsh criticism when they chose to send tech support to other countries and have since reversed their decisions. But not everyone is against the idea. The owner of a small CPA firm in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., started outsourcing six years ago and currently utilizes people in India, Pakistan and China. Cost savings alone are incredible—he pays them $3 to $10 per hour compared to $35 to $75 that their U.S. counterparts receive. But that’s common knowledge and also part of the controversy. What’s more amazing is the quality and speed of the work they do for him. In one occasion, he estimates that a chartered accountant (not an unskilled laborer) prepared one of his most complex tax returns overnight for one of his largest 1040 clients on April 8 with 80 percent fewer errors than anticipated. (For more on his story, see “
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The IRS is reevaluating how to gauge the more than 150 taxpayer service improvement projects it had been pursuing before staffing and budget cuts this year.
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The IRS's progress in improving tax compliance in recent years has been threatened by cuts in funding and hiring, according to a new report.
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Indiana CPA Society awards $24,550 in scholarships; Weaver and Herbein + Co. relocate offices; and more news from across the profession.
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Amid cost pressures, more than a third of finance leaders have paused at least some capital spending and cut costs in virtually all areas except for AI.
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Plus, Sage launches Tap to Pay feature; UHY offers CCMP accelerator courses; and other accounting technology news and updates.
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The annual list recognizes the 100 top workplaces in the profession.
July 17