Tax Season Volunteers Make a Difference and Are Needed.For more than a century, lawyers and doctors have enhanced their professional lives and distinguished themselves by giving their services to the needy at no charge. Each individual CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. also can participate in a similar way. Each of us can make a difference. Across the country, more and more active and retired CPAs from all segments of the profession--public, business and industry, government, not-for-profit, and education--make the time to help low-income people with their tax returns. They do this during tax season and their services are free. Many of the volunteers have tax experience but others are full-time auditors or accountants and find they benefit by helping others ... as they learn. The services range from tax return preparation to representation before the IRS An abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing internal revenue laws. and state tax agencies. The people they help are the working poor and retirees. Many do not speak English. This is a growing difficulty as our federal and state tax laws and forms grow more complex, especially for people who have not done anything to complicate com·pli·cate tr. & intr.v. com·pli·cat·ed, com·pli·cat·ing, com·pli·cates 1. To make or become complex or perplexing. 2. To twist or become twisted together. adj. 1. their tax lives. Listed below are tax clinic programs led by tax professionals. They are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. volunteers for next tax season who are CPAs or who work for CPAs. Each program is nonprofit and operates independently; some offer training programs that qualify for CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment credit. Several of the programs are now funded as Low-Income Tax Clinics and work with many legal aid and law school programs to provide professional tax help to the poor. A surprising number of the low-income tax returns are complex and need a professional's advice. The volunteer work is without risk of preparer penalty since the definition of "preparer" requires compensation. It is a great way both to help in your community and for new staff to gain experience. If you are in a supervisory position, consider a tax-deductible donation or alert your staff to the volunteer possibilities and encourage them to participate. Some CPAs have been doing this for as long as 30 years, showing there are ways to fit in a few volunteer hours, even during busy season. Many view this as an important part of their professional responsibility. Some of the programs may also offer accounting and consulting services Noun 1. consulting service - service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.) service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services" . (For the non-tax programs in other areas of the country, contact Accountants for the Public Interest at 410/837-6533.) Baltimore, Maryland "Baltimore" redirects here. For the surrounding county, see Baltimore County, Maryland. For other uses, see Baltimore (disambiguation). Baltimore is an independent city located in the state of Maryland in the United States. Volunteer Lawyers Service, 410/539-6800, x230; mina@mvlslaw.org Boston, Community Tax Aid of Boston, 617/572-7983; ctaboston@accountant.com Colorado, Colorado CPA Society, 303/773-2877; gmantz@cocpa.org Detroit, Accounting Aid Society, 313/647-9620; accaidsociety@ mindspring.com; Web: www.accountingaidsociety.org Illinois, Center for Law and Human Services, 312/341-1666; kthomas@centerforlaw.org Minnesota, AccountAbility Minnesota, 651/287-0187; jbrand@mtn.org; Web: www.accountabilitymn.org New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , Community Tax Aid, Inc., 917/402-7563; e.meal@gte.com San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Tax Aid, Inc., 415/281-1600; Tax-Aid@ us.arthurandersen.com Washington, D.C., Community Tax Aid, Inc., 703/318-2122; CTAvol@aol.com; Web: www.gwscpa.org/cta W. Hartford, Conn., Community Accounting Aid and Services, 860/570-9113; caas@sba.uconn.edu; Web: asbdcnow.com/caas |
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