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| August 2004 | The
Monthly Newspaper of the NYSSCPA |
Vol.
7, No.11 |
Message From the President
By Thomas Boyd, Queens Chapter President
In the first month of our new year, the chapter held its organizational meeting for board members and a technical session for its members. At the board meeting we set our goals for the year and assigned responsibility for carrying them out.
The first technical meeting provided a lively discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of e-filing. In all, I think the attendees recognized that this is the way of the future, as the number of e-filed returns has increased each year. If you are not already participating in the program, it is only a matter of time. The principal advantages seem to be:
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Taxpayers get their refund quicker.
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Taxpayers’ information is verified quickly, and any problems, such as names, Social Security numbers, W-2 or 1099 data, dependents, or missing data, can be resolved within a few days of filing. This saves on the annoying notices that taxpayers get months later requesting more information or resolving discrepancies. With e-file, the preparer can save the time formerly spent on reviewing the return, getting the information and responding to the request.
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Preparer knows that the return has been filed, and has verification that it has been filed. With paper returns you have no confirmation that the taxpayer has filed the return.
The principal drawbacks to e-filing as noted by practitioners were:
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Some tax software providers, such as Prosystems, have a fee for e-file.
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The preparer has to enter in more data—notably, W-2 information.
The chapter committees have been established, and the Tax Committee will hold its first meeting in July. Edward Torres is chair of that committee and has had success in identifying members who would like to participate. It is their goal to field a panel of committee members to participate in the Chapter’s Tax Conference for Professionals, to be held at St. John’s University in October.
Also, they hope to be able to hold a technical meeting for members. This will give our members an opportunity to network with other tax professionals and achieve recognition and experience as participants or presenters at conferences. If you would like to be part of this committee, you can contact Torres at 718-261-9600 or et1@nyc.rr.com.
Several members have expressed an interest in joining the Elder Care and Health Care Committee. However, we still need a chair for this group. If you have an interest, please contact Thomas Boyd at 718-428-0956 or tmboyd38@hotmail.com. If you would like to join the Real Estate Committee, contact Thomas E. Flanagan at 718-332-0777 or tef@myaccountant.us.
Aleta Saravia heads up the Young CPA Committee and would like to give the following report:
This year the Young CPAs of the Queens Chapter will hold a social event at Shea Stadium. All applicants, associates and young CPA members are invited to come out and root for our Mets. We will attend the game on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7:10 p.m., against our rival team, Atlanta. Tickets are on a first-call basis.
We are considering having some meetings with members of the accounting community to discuss various topics such as time management. We also hope to have social and networking events. One such event may be for those people who are looking for new opportunities to meet others who have job opportunities open. This is your chapter, and we want to know what you want from it. If you have an idea for an event, whether it is social or informative, please contact Saravia at Aleta.L.Saravia@aexp.com.
Thomas Boyd can be reached at 718-428-0956 or tmboyd38@hotmail.com.
