Practice Management

The Internal Revenue Service has released a set of long-delayed draft instructions for the forms that companies need to file to comply with the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

The Tax Court has held that the value of an airline ticket received in the redemption of “thank you” award points from a bank must be included in gross income.

A collection of recent accounting firm mergers and acquisitions …

While both houses of Congress have addressed the passage of tax extender legislation, it is unlikely that anything will come of their efforts until after the midterm elections. One of the expired provisions that haven’t yet been extended is the R&D, or research, credit. If any provisions do get extended, this is one that will be in whatever package makes it to the President’s desk for his signature.

H&R Block and Liberty Tax have been expanding from traditional tax preparation services into other areas such as bookkeeping as they reach out to service small business clients year-round, giving traditional accountants some extra competition.

AccountantsWorld has redesigned Website Relief, the company’s cloud-based software for helping accounting firms create websites and virtual offices.

Billionaire Warren Buffett was an ally of President Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign and the force behind Obama’s “Buffett Rule,” designed to increase tax bills for the wealthiest Americans.

Nonprofit and for-profit corporations that borrow through the issuance of taxable or tax exempt municipal debt have a new rule about who can give them financial advice.

Armanino LLP is in the process of adding Berger Lewis Accountancy Corporation to its firm. The merger, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close by Jan. 1, 2015.

Highlights of some of our favorite tax-related blogs from the past week.