Top Four Reasons Why You Should Register for the Partnership Taxation Conference

By Zev Landau

Members of the New York State Society of CPAs’ Partnerships Committee expect this year’s Partnership Taxation Conference to provide excellent tools for practice development, in informative and understandable discussions of topics that may be unfamiliar to some professionals.

The conference, which will be held in December in New York City, promises to capitalize on past years’ experience, when attendees indicated in surveys that they better understood topics after hearing the speakers, even before they began to study any written material on a subject.

Committee members, however, have four specific reasons why they believe the Partnership Taxation Conference will fill the professional needs of many of the Society’s members.

1. Scope and Topics. The conference will reflect the Partnerships Committee’s mission to explore issues affecting partnership and limited liability companies and their partners and members. This is why the speakers will explore, analyze and educate on tax law changes, planning strategies, compliance issues and client problems that will appeal to a wide cross section of NYSSCPA members.

Tax consultants and other professionals who know the rules of partnership taxation will learn how to expand their client base by targeting preferred markets where partnerships or limited liability companies are the chosen entities. The real estate industry, law firms, medical practices and family businesses all are market niches you might consider. Members in industry may be interested in subjects such as “check the box” entity classification rules, computation of tax basis in partnerships with corporations, tax rules for franchises, formation and liquidation of partnerships, and tax-free reorganization through mergers with a corporation.

Legal issues that affect LLCs will be covered in a discussion titled “What the Non-Lawyer Adviser Should Know About the New York Limited Liability Company/Partnership Law.”

2. Values and Benefits. The conference is worth eight continuing professional education (CPE) credits, but its value does not stop there. This conference is about transferring knowledge that will endure and motivate you to learn more about the topics, starting with the written material you take home when the conference is over. These will be essential additions to your reference library that will make it easier for you to find solutions to your clients’ problems.

The conference also is an excellent opportunity to discuss common concerns with your peers, and to network and make new contacts.

Finally, the price is right: less than what you might pay at comparable conferences.

3. Speakers’ Quality and Presenters’ Expertise. Audiences appreciate good speakers capable of presenting their expertise simply and clearly. Our speakers are experienced lecturers who are happy to interact with the audience and answer their questions.

Alan E. Weiner, for example, is a frequent lecturer known for his ability to simplify complex issues, especially regarding taxes. As a result, he has been a regular guest on television and radio shows, and has been quoted by prestigious publications like Money Magazine, which called him “one of the nation’s best tax practitioners.”

4. Conference Development and Organization. The Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE) is preparing this conference, selecting timely and relevant topics, and paying attention to details.

The conference will be held on Dec. 18, 2002, less than 13 business days before the year-end and just before the 2003 tax season. Through attending the event, you will have a valuable source for new ideas for year-end tax planning and an effective tool for self-preparation for the next tax season.

So, call FAE at (800) 537-3635 or go to www.nysscpa.org/faeconferences.htm and register for the Partnership Taxation Conference. We hope to see you at the New York Helmsley Hotel at 212 East 42nd St. in New York City, on Dec. 18, 2002, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.