In this issue: Gov. Wolf Signs PICPA-Backed Local Tax Measure; PICPA Sits with Pa. Political Leaders for Q&As; A Look at Pa. DOR's Equipment Rental SUT Bulletin; and more.

In this issue: PICPA Forges Ahead on Pass-Through Entity Tax Reform; Bill Aligning Local Tax Filing Deadlines Heads to Pa. Governor; Pennsylvania House, Senate Committees Advance Tax Measures; and more.

In this issue: Tax Proposal in Pennsylvania House Committee; Pa. DOR to Transition Business Taxpayers to myPath; PICPA, AICPA Urge IRS Relief for Taxpayers and Practitioners; and more.

In this issue: PICPA Clarifies Tax Questions with Pa. DOR; Come meet Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler; PICPA Gets Clarification on IRS CP162A Notices; and more.

SAS Nos. 134 through 140 were issued by the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) to align U.S. and international standards and to communicate more information that is important to financial statement users. The standards were originally expected to be implemented for periods ending on or after Dec. 15, 2020, but the issuance of SAS No. 141 allowed for a one-year delay due to COVID-19. As a result, the effective date for this group of standards is Dec. 15, 2021. The ASB recommends that the standards be implemented concurrently, and early implementation is permitted.

A famous quip advises, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Metaphorically, this comic principle holds true for the annual compliance ritual of the company audit. Those who invest the time to prepare for the audit process in advance will have a smoother and less stressful experience than those who delay or procrastinate. Whether you recently completed an audit or one is coming up soon, here are some “frog-eating” tips and best practices.

CPAs who work with not-for-profits faced huge pandemic-induced challenges. While some struggled to help their organizations, others were able to thrive and add significant value. As you assess and develop your lessons-learned, consider these experiences from the nonprofit sector.

Your firm’s brand plays a more significant role than you think when it comes to its value. A common mistake that many firms make is neglecting to treat their brand like the asset it is.

Specialized professional designations are more than just alphabet soup following your name on a business card. They enhance a practitioner’s skills and make him or her more attractive to employers and clients.

Today, in both corporate and public accounting roles, accountants are expected to be business partners. Consequently, a high value is placed on those entrants into the profession who possess both technical accounting know-how and traditional professional skills.

In the ever-expanding globalization of the economy, it is more common than ever for a U.S. person to make payments to foreign persons. Depending on the type of payment made, and whether it is U.S. sourced, there may be U.S. withholding tax imposed on the payment unless an exemption applies.

In CPA professional liability cases, too often we see a disconnect between what CPAs understand their roles to be and the client’s view. Coupled with a public perception that CPAs are gatekeepers, this disconnect can lead to potentially devastating malpractice claims.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual technologies by accounting firms for the recruiting process. Emerging CPAs should be aware of this trend and prepare themselves for the virtual recruiting experience.

The 2021-2022 session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly may run until Nov. 30, 2022, but it is in the coming weeks and months that state legislators will have their hands full with numerous issues of interest to PICPA members and their clients.

In this issue: Pennsylvania Senate Wraps Up Budget Hearings; State Legislative Maps Approved by Pa. Supreme Court; IFO Provides Fiscal Analysis of Tax Proposals; and more.

Elder fraud has been defined as “an act targeting older adults in which attempts are made to deceive with promises of goods, services, or financial benefits that do not exist, were never intended to be provided, or were misrepresented.”

As it is still early 2019, it is important to reflect on recent legislative, administrative, and judicial state and local tax developments in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. This column will look at some of the most significant and discuss their prospective impacts.

Blockchain is considered one of the most significant advances in record keeping since double-entry bookkeeping emerged in Italy in the 15th century. There may be differing opinions on the rate of adoption, but the view is widespread that blockchain has the potential to dramatically change the way business will be conducted.

When the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), on May 28, 2014, several industries were provided additional resources for implementation. Among them was telecommunications (telecom), for which the Revenue Recognition Transition Resource Group and AICPA’s Telecommunications Entities Revenue Recognition Task Force have tackled some of the most challenging issues faced while implementing ASC 606.

As many tax professionals know, Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 965 had required a transition tax on certain untaxed foreign earnings for the 2017 tax year. But while the federal provisions of Section 965 are over, that is not the end of the story as many states have decoupled from the federal treatment.