CPA Now Blog

The 2019-2020 Pennsylvania General Assembly committees are beginning to kick out legislation for consideration by the full House and Senate. Of the hundreds of bills already introduced, the PICPA is actively following more than two dozen.

Public accounting is built upon a legal and regulatory foundation that governs its members and their conduct. This well-established system that bolsters CPA professional integrity is under attack in many state legislatures.

On Feb. 5, 2019, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf presented his fifth state budget to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Once again, a cornerstone of his budget is increased funding for education.

The 203rd Pennsylvania General Assembly—one of the oldest state legislative bodies in the nation—convened on New Year’s Day to kick off the 2019-2020 legislative session. Swearing-in day is filled with much ceremony, and it brings a sense of renewed optimism for bipartisanship and moving the Commonwealth forward.

Pennsylvania voters may have gone to the polls on Nov. 6, but there was another recent election that went mostly unnoticed outside of Harrisburg. Last week, state lawmakers elected who will lead their respective caucuses for the next legislative session.

Political action committees (PACs) play an important and necessary role in the political landscape. Unfortunately, they are often associated with negative feelings and notions of slimy politicians. This view of PACs is far from the reality.

On Oct. 24, the PICPA will meet with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and broadcast it live. Hear what you can expect out of the presentation from Jeff Spengler, CPA, chair of PICPA's State Taxation Committee.

Most CPAs' eyes have understandably been on the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, so it may come as a surprise to many PICPA members that Pennsylvania tax reform efforts are under way in Harrisburg.

While the pace of legislative activity may have slowed in Pennsylvania this summer, the PICPA government relations team continues to plow ahead on a couple critical issues that we want to get on the General Assembly’s fall calendar.

On June 22, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law the fiscal year 2018-2019 state budget—more than a week before the end of the fiscal year. With little of the political acrimony that typically mars the budget negotiation process, this budget relatively breezed to completion. How the heck did that happen?

PICPA’s Day on the Hill is a unique opportunity for our members to bring their specialized training and problem-solving skills to Harrisburg. The ultimate goal is to position PICPA members as a resource to state lawmakers and regulators, to build relationships with decisionmakers, and to garner support for our legislative priorities.

Pennsylvania Act 18 marks the culmination of a four-year effort by Rep. George Dunbar, CPA (Inactive) and the PICPA to address the potential for double taxation on local earned income.

R. Charles Waring, a director with PwC, provides first-hand insight on PICPA's Day on the Hill, and explains why he thinks you should attend.

To help its members prepare for the Pennsylvania primary elections, PICPA's government relations team has prepared an election guide that includes information on the gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congressional, and Pennsylvania Senate and House races.

“Be patient. Good things take time” is a saying applied broadly and frequently. One area we don’t typically apply that phrase to is politics. Such has been the case for House Bill 866, which provides consistency and clarity to the local earned income tax crediting provisions.

The Pennsylvania budget is one of several issues that state lawmakers are working on, but it is the one that can easily suck the air out of the capitol and bring all other legislative plans to a grinding halt. Here is an update on some of the issues the PICPA and its government relations team in Harrisburg are working on.

As you renew your PICPA membership this year, you’ll notice a check-off option to contribute to the CPA-PAC. The CPA-PAC is the driving force behind PICPA’s advocacy efforts.

It's that time of year again: budget season. The budget, though, is not the only big issue for the PICPA right now. There are also new 1099-MISC rules that businesses and CPAs have been wrestling with.

Gov. Tom Wolf recently signed into law Acts 71 and 72, much needed changes to the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act that have been championed by the PICPA.

On Dec. 22, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue issued Corporation Tax Bulletin 2017-02 concerning the disallowance and recovery of 100 percent depreciation under the Internal Revenue Code, a measure related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. With the latest bulletin, the DOR changed its policy regarding 100 percent bonus depreciation.