OT: CPA

[jficquette]

My tax returns are simple and having been an x accountant and having passed the cpa exam I could do them without any trouble but I use a CPA simply because I can’t help but think that it can affect whether or not you are audited.

I believe the IRS would rather harass individuals who didn’t get a CPA involved then those who did. However, I have no reason to think so other then I just don’t trust the government.

John

[Allan from Fallbrook]

John: If a CPA prepares your filing, then they accept professional responsibility for it’s correctness and content. In terms of IRS “harassment”, the IRS is going to be more likely to pass over a CPA prepared return than an individually prepared return, simply because a licensed professional prepared it.

TemekuT: As far as crooks go: Remember that Enron would have never been possible without Arthur Andersen’s Houston office enabling the fraud. And there is no way that anyone will ever convince me that they weren’t fully aware of what was transpiring. The average salary for a partner at Andersen Houston was in excess of $500,000 per year and much of that income was derived from their relationship and business with Enron. I worked with all of the Big Eight (yeah, I’m dating myself a little there) players when I was with Willis (an insurance broker) and they were all willing to “play ball” when it came to making their clients “happy”. That’s why CPA firms and lawyers exist: Hide the mess (CPAs), and if that doesn’t work, clean it up (lawyers).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

John: If a CPA prepares your filing, then they accept professional responsibility for it’s correctness and content. In terms of IRS “harassment”, the IRS is going to be more likely to pass over a CPA prepared return than an individually prepared return, simply because a licensed professional prepared it.

TemekuT: As far as crooks go: Remember that Enron would have never been possible without Arthur Andersen’s Houston office enabling the fraud. And there is no way that anyone will ever convince me that they weren’t fully aware of what was transpiring. The average salary for a partner at Andersen Houston was in excess of $500,000 per year and much of that income was derived from their relationship and business with Enron. I worked with all of the Big Eight (yeah, I’m dating myself a little there) players when I was with Willis (an insurance broker) and they were all willing to “play ball” when it came to making their clients “happy”. That’s why CPA firms and lawyers exist: Hide the mess (CPAs), and if that doesn’t work, clean it up (lawyers).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

John: If a CPA prepares your filing, then they accept professional responsibility for it’s correctness and content. In terms of IRS “harassment”, the IRS is going to be more likely to pass over a CPA prepared return than an individually prepared return, simply because a licensed professional prepared it.

TemekuT: As far as crooks go: Remember that Enron would have never been possible without Arthur Andersen’s Houston office enabling the fraud. And there is no way that anyone will ever convince me that they weren’t fully aware of what was transpiring. The average salary for a partner at Andersen Houston was in excess of $500,000 per year and much of that income was derived from their relationship and business with Enron. I worked with all of the Big Eight (yeah, I’m dating myself a little there) players when I was with Willis (an insurance broker) and they were all willing to “play ball” when it came to making their clients “happy”. That’s why CPA firms and lawyers exist: Hide the mess (CPAs), and if that doesn’t work, clean it up (lawyers).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

John: If a CPA prepares your filing, then they accept professional responsibility for it’s correctness and content. In terms of IRS “harassment”, the IRS is going to be more likely to pass over a CPA prepared return than an individually prepared return, simply because a licensed professional prepared it.

TemekuT: As far as crooks go: Remember that Enron would have never been possible without Arthur Andersen’s Houston office enabling the fraud. And there is no way that anyone will ever convince me that they weren’t fully aware of what was transpiring. The average salary for a partner at Andersen Houston was in excess of $500,000 per year and much of that income was derived from their relationship and business with Enron. I worked with all of the Big Eight (yeah, I’m dating myself a little there) players when I was with Willis (an insurance broker) and they were all willing to “play ball” when it came to making their clients “happy”. That’s why CPA firms and lawyers exist: Hide the mess (CPAs), and if that doesn’t work, clean it up (lawyers).

[Allan from Fallbrook]

John: If a CPA prepares your filing, then they accept professional responsibility for it’s correctness and content. In terms of IRS “harassment”, the IRS is going to be more likely to pass over a CPA prepared return than an individually prepared return, simply because a licensed professional prepared it.

TemekuT: As far as crooks go: Remember that Enron would have never been possible without Arthur Andersen’s Houston office enabling the fraud. And there is no way that anyone will ever convince me that they weren’t fully aware of what was transpiring. The average salary for a partner at Andersen Houston was in excess of $500,000 per year and much of that income was derived from their relationship and business with Enron. I worked with all of the Big Eight (yeah, I’m dating myself a little there) players when I was with Willis (an insurance broker) and they were all willing to “play ball” when it came to making their clients “happy”. That’s why CPA firms and lawyers exist: Hide the mess (CPAs), and if that doesn’t work, clean it up (lawyers).

[TemekuT]

meandale, I looked up both Chris (licensee) and the firm on the State Board site and they are violation free and in good status. It sounds like they are working out for you and at a good rate. My point about the price was that it is not a flat rate, rather, it is driven by both the actual time (hourly fee) and the amount of schedules required, hence, the more complex the return, the greater the price. Perhaps I generally have been involved in preparation of more complex returns.

[TemekuT]

meandale, I looked up both Chris (licensee) and the firm on the State Board site and they are violation free and in good status. It sounds like they are working out for you and at a good rate. My point about the price was that it is not a flat rate, rather, it is driven by both the actual time (hourly fee) and the amount of schedules required, hence, the more complex the return, the greater the price. Perhaps I generally have been involved in preparation of more complex returns.

[TemekuT]

meandale, I looked up both Chris (licensee) and the firm on the State Board site and they are violation free and in good status. It sounds like they are working out for you and at a good rate. My point about the price was that it is not a flat rate, rather, it is driven by both the actual time (hourly fee) and the amount of schedules required, hence, the more complex the return, the greater the price. Perhaps I generally have been involved in preparation of more complex returns.

[TemekuT]

meandale, I looked up both Chris (licensee) and the firm on the State Board site and they are violation free and in good status. It sounds like they are working out for you and at a good rate. My point about the price was that it is not a flat rate, rather, it is driven by both the actual time (hourly fee) and the amount of schedules required, hence, the more complex the return, the greater the price. Perhaps I generally have been involved in preparation of more complex returns.

[TemekuT]

meandale, I looked up both Chris (licensee) and the firm on the State Board site and they are violation free and in good status. It sounds like they are working out for you and at a good rate. My point about the price was that it is not a flat rate, rather, it is driven by both the actual time (hourly fee) and the amount of schedules required, hence, the more complex the return, the greater the price. Perhaps I generally have been involved in preparation of more complex returns.

[TemekuT]

Allan, you’re absolutely correct about “playing ball” on the audit side. Remember, the CPA profession licensing is based on the attest function, not on tax prep, and the revenue stream derived from audits and consulting is huge, especially since the inception of Sarbanes-Oxley.

I lost my innocence as a first year staffer for one of the Big 8 when it came time to trade off issues at the final audit meeting, in which I was not included. My audit senior explained to me what was transpiring, the bargaining process, and how this was common.

I submit in any form of big business it is impossible to succeed if you play by the rules because of widespread ethics breaches and corruption, and that this is common at THE TOP LEVEL, not at the worker bee level. What a sad commentary on ethics.

Having said that, I still maintain that almost all CPA tax preparers out there run their small business with integrity and would never compromise their license and livelihood to falsify an individual tax return. I know it happens, but infrequently, because it is just not worth the consequences to the sole proprietor or small partnership.

[TemekuT]

Allan, you’re absolutely correct about “playing ball” on the audit side. Remember, the CPA profession licensing is based on the attest function, not on tax prep, and the revenue stream derived from audits and consulting is huge, especially since the inception of Sarbanes-Oxley.

I lost my innocence as a first year staffer for one of the Big 8 when it came time to trade off issues at the final audit meeting, in which I was not included. My audit senior explained to me what was transpiring, the bargaining process, and how this was common.

I submit in any form of big business it is impossible to succeed if you play by the rules because of widespread ethics breaches and corruption, and that this is common at THE TOP LEVEL, not at the worker bee level. What a sad commentary on ethics.

Having said that, I still maintain that almost all CPA tax preparers out there run their small business with integrity and would never compromise their license and livelihood to falsify an individual tax return. I know it happens, but infrequently, because it is just not worth the consequences to the sole proprietor or small partnership.

[TemekuT]

Allan, you’re absolutely correct about “playing ball” on the audit side. Remember, the CPA profession licensing is based on the attest function, not on tax prep, and the revenue stream derived from audits and consulting is huge, especially since the inception of Sarbanes-Oxley.

I lost my innocence as a first year staffer for one of the Big 8 when it came time to trade off issues at the final audit meeting, in which I was not included. My audit senior explained to me what was transpiring, the bargaining process, and how this was common.

I submit in any form of big business it is impossible to succeed if you play by the rules because of widespread ethics breaches and corruption, and that this is common at THE TOP LEVEL, not at the worker bee level. What a sad commentary on ethics.

Having said that, I still maintain that almost all CPA tax preparers out there run their small business with integrity and would never compromise their license and livelihood to falsify an individual tax return. I know it happens, but infrequently, because it is just not worth the consequences to the sole proprietor or small partnership.

[TemekuT]

Allan, you’re absolutely correct about “playing ball” on the audit side. Remember, the CPA profession licensing is based on the attest function, not on tax prep, and the revenue stream derived from audits and consulting is huge, especially since the inception of Sarbanes-Oxley.

I lost my innocence as a first year staffer for one of the Big 8 when it came time to trade off issues at the final audit meeting, in which I was not included. My audit senior explained to me what was transpiring, the bargaining process, and how this was common.

I submit in any form of big business it is impossible to succeed if you play by the rules because of widespread ethics breaches and corruption, and that this is common at THE TOP LEVEL, not at the worker bee level. What a sad commentary on ethics.

Having said that, I still maintain that almost all CPA tax preparers out there run their small business with integrity and would never compromise their license and livelihood to falsify an individual tax return. I know it happens, but infrequently, because it is just not worth the consequences to the sole proprietor or small partnership.

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