Best Software Provides 1997 Tax Update Release for FAS.

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 1997--

Bigger Tax Deductions For Businesses Staring January 1, 1997

Best Software, the leading provider of fixed asset management, human resource and payroll software solutions, today announced its annual fixed asset management software update that incorporates all the latest tax law changes for calculating depreciation.

Businesses can now claim higher deductions that can amount to thousands of dollars over the next five years.

The FAS(TM) 97.1 Tax Update will include enhancements that improve the overall performance and ease-of-use for FAS for Windows and FAS Encore! The release, which will be shipped in early 1997, will be sent free of charge to all FAS users who have purchased support from Best, whether they use DOS- or Windows(R)- based applications.

"Best is committed to keeping its 25,000 support customers up-to-date with the constantly changing tax laws; they rely on us to worry about it so they don't have to," said Jennifer Chisholm, product manager for Best Software's FAS line. "Providing these tax updates is an important part of our overall customer service program. Our tax law accountants and product development staff keep abreast of proposed tax law changes throughout the year to provide this valuable service to our users by incorporating enacted changes into their existing fixed asset applications."

The most recent tax law changes supported by the Best FAS 97.1 release include:

Section 179 Expense -- An adjustment in accordance with the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, which increases the maximum allowable amount of Section 179 expense from $17,500 to $18,000 for the tax year beginning in 1997, and on an increasing basis up to $25,000 over the next six years, for fixed assets placed in service in tax years 1997 through 2000.

Luxury Auto Limitation -- The 1997 Automobile Price Inflation Adjustment has been calculated, and the limitations for depreciation in Section 280F(a) have increased for the first three years.

1996 Form 4562 -- A new line in the 1996 Form 4562 for current-year, 25-year MACRS property. The FAS 97.1 Tax Update now supports a 25-year life on water utility property for asset additions and the resultant straight-line depreciation method.

FAS for Windows and FAS Encore! users will also find a new utility included in their FAS 97.1 Tax Update. Import Helper provides pre-set "wizard" formats that make it much easier to import data from various sources into the appropriate field in FAS. This feature makes FAS Windows-based applications easier to use and will save time for busy fixed asset managers. Performance improvements have also been made to facilitate running reports, opening a company field, switching between asset groups, and for editing and saving new asset records.

Founded in 1982, Best Software Inc. is the leading publisher of award-winning PC software that manages fixed assets, human resources and payroll for mid-sized companies. Products include FAS for Windows, the leading fixed asset management system; FASTrack(TM), the fixed asset tracking and inventory system using bar code technology; and the Abra(TM), the market-leading line of human resource and payroll solutions.

-0- EDITORS' NOTE: FAS, FAS Encore! and FASTrack are trademarks and the Best logo is a registered trademark of Best Software, Inc. Abra is a trademark of Abra Software, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Software, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Best Software, Inc.

Susan Lee, 703/709-5200 ext.3277

[e-mail]

or

Baron, McDonald & Wells

Dianne Rabbitt, 770/492-0373

[e-mail]