As the end of the year fast approaches, the Internal Revenue Service is strongly encouraging paid tax preparers to register now for their new or renewed Preparer Tax Identifications Numbers to avoid any last-minute rush.

From hot air balloons to bagels, 2010 proved to be yet another year in which states and municipalities passed some strange tax laws in a desperate bid to raise revenues and close their budget gaps.

CCH has upgraded its IntelliConnect online tax and accounting research service with improvements in its user interface, search features and research tools.

Preparer Tax Identification Numbers, e-file mandates, and pending tax legislation are weighing heavily on tax preparers' minds as they take a breath just prior to the start of filing season.

Only a handful of days remain to execute year-end tax strategies. Some techniques for this year reprise traditional advice that has legs year after year, while others, including reaction to whatever this year's lame-duck Congress has wrought, have a unique sense of urgency.

While lawmakers have pledged to patch the Alternative Minimum Tax this year, there remains plenty of uncertainty in the current tax landscape.

Proprietary tax research platforms continue to grow despite the availability of free searches and materials over the Internet, with all the major publishers of Internet-based research reporting growth.