Practice and client management

A former UBS banker who is currently an independent asset manager has been accused of helping U.S. taxpayers use secret Swiss bank accounts to evade income taxes.

The IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Service needs to take better care to make sure that the grant funds it provides to Low Income Taxpayer Clinics are used appropriately, according to a new report.

Sales and use taxes continue to rise on average nationwide, according to a new report, with an average combined rate in mid-2011 of 9.63 percent, compared to 9.61 at the end of 2010.

With airlines under pressure from lawmakers, Delta Air Lines said it would refund tax money paid by travelers in the wake of a suspension of non-essential services by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited plans to work with a nonprofit organization on developing disclosures by companies of their water usage as fresh drinking water increasingly becomes a scarce resource.

Accounting and business advisory firm Sikich LLP has begun offering a subscription-based human resources consulting service to business clients.

The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday that for tax year 2011, it would require the manual key entry of the Taxpayer Identification Number shown on W-2 forms received from employers for all taxpayers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers who are reporting wages.

The Senate approved a debt limit increase on Tuesday, narrowly averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt obligations.

The Internal Revenue Service has improved its ability to recover its computer systems in case a disaster strikes, according to a new report.

The House of Representatives voted to raise the debt ceiling, only a day before the August 2 deadline for averting a default on the federal government’s debt obligations.

After the passage of a New York State law allowing same-sex couples to marry, a New York City wealth management firm has named a new CPA partner to provide same-sex couples with financial planning advice.

Reinsel Kuntz Lesher LLP has added a Senior Living Services Consulting Group, brought over from ParenteBeard, to its services.

There has been a growing demand over the past 10 years for information on corporate behavior, which could include environmental impact, employee health and safety initiatives, community development, supply chain practices, and a host of other topics. A lot of these issues are addressed through sustainability reporting.

Accounting firms don't necessarily need to take a Mr. Rogers' neighborhood approach in dealing with small business clients - but it certainly doesn't hurt.

With the current gift tax exclusion amount set at a record-high $5 million, many taxpayers appear to consider the gift tax no longer relevant to their planning. That may be a mistake.

Client lists and client loyalty are built by a number of factors, including personal relationships and satisfaction with the work completed.

Washington, D.C. - The Internal Revenue Service said in mid-July that it would stop its examinations of donors to tax-exempt 501(c)(4) political organizations asking whether they had paid gift taxes, after the agency came under pressure from Republican lawmakers.

The American Institute of CPAshas written a letter to the Internal Revenue Service offering to help develop the IRS exam for registered tax return preparers by leveraging the AICPA's own experience with the Uniform CPA Exam.

It looks as though the time has come for comprehensive patent reform, including the banning of tax strategy patents, if the groundswell of opposition is any type of barometer.