2010-2011 Year in Review - California Society of Enrolled Agents

More documents

Recommendations

Info

COmmiTTEES Audit Susan P. Growney, EA Under the Committee purview is the review of the CSEA tax returns prior to filing. The Committee completed the reviews and all returns were timely filed. The audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010 went very smoothly again this year despite the changes taking place at CSEA, and with the accounting and computer conversions still in the final stages. There were a couple of adjusting entries that had to be made, but in keeping with past performance, Karen Clifford and all staff involved once again made CSEA shine through the audit. The draft audit report was reviewed by the Committee in September and presented to the Board for approval in January. Our last item of business this year was the evaluation of our audit contract, which was completed with this year’s audit. The Committee sent out requests for proposals (RFPs) Bylaws Committee Patricia Kappen, EA The Bylaws Committee had a pretty busy year. We worked on two important Bylaws changes: the Five Year Bylaws Review and Comparison and the regular maintenance tasks needed to keep CSEA and the Chapters in sync. The first task was drafting the language to increase the membership dues, which was presented to the Board and approved. It was a difficult but necessary change, and the Committee did a very good job. Next, and much more interesting, was drafting language to amend CSEA’s Bylaws to allow online voting by all Members. This was a bigger task as this type of change needed to be reviewed by our attorney to be sure we were in compliance. It took a few drafts to get it correct, and thanks to Irene Lawrence, EA we are ready to present it to the Members for voting at the 2011 Annual Meeting. This will be a major change for all Members as they will be able to participate and have their voices heard without traveling to Sacramento or wherever the voting will take place. I believe this will be one of our greatest accomplishments, as the more Members can be part of CSEA the more they will understand and value their memberships. 16 CSEA 2010-2011 Year in Review to multiple companies for bids on not only the annual audit but the tax preparation as well. The Committee had multiple discussions, not only at Committee meetings but by phone conference as well, to be able to present our recommendation to the Board for approval in June. Thank you to all the Committee members for your patience this year and for all the fantastic input, questions and insight. A special thank you also goes to the guests who attended the meetings, as your input is very much appreciated. Respectfully submitted, Susan P. Growney, EA – Chair COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Pam Blair, EA and Ron Watts, EA. We also spent time on reviewing the current Bylaws to see how they compare with NAEA’s Bylaws and to be sure that all the Bylaws continue to reflect the current needs of CSEA. This project still continues, but we have accomplished a lot so far, and it has been a very good education for everyone on the Committee to read every line of our Bylaws and understand what they mean. Bylaws are dynamic and ever changing as an organization grows and changes. I am pleased that many Members chose to attend and be part of this Committee to ensure that we are always current and meeting the needs of our Members. I am grateful for everyone’s contribution, especially Alma Gunther, EA, Laurie Cole, Irene Lawrence, EA and Vicki Mulak, EA. Respectfully submitted, Patricia Kappen EA – Chair COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Anne T. Arms, EA, Cognizant Officer Alma V. Guenther, EA, James E. Houston, EA, Pamela J. Jipp, EA, Thomas W. Johnston, EA, Vice Chair Irene Lawrence, EA, Vicki L. Mulak, EA, and Jerry H. Satterberg, EA.
Education margaret Dunn, EA This was a year of substantial change for CSEA’s education programs. The most obvious change is the change of the committee name from the Professional Education Production Committee (PEPCO) to simply the Education Committee. We believe that this more clearly and succinctly describes our Committee and its area of responsibility. The IRS and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) kept us on our toes throughout the year. With the announcement in January 2010 of the new National Tax Preparer Registration Program, our Committee recognized that hundreds of thousands of tax professionals around the country would be looking for resources to help them pass the competency exam that the IRS will be requiring. We also hope that those preparers who are currently unenrolled will be encouraged by the new testing and continuing education (CE) requirements to finally take the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE). Whichever road these preparers choose to take, the CSEA Education Committee wants to be prepared to be the “go to” education provider! We have also been monitoring remarks about what constitutes OPR approved continuing education for Enrolled Agents. OPR audits revealed that many Enrolled Agents were relying on CE hours that did not meet the definition as covered in Circular 230. We have developed a more formal process for Chapters to submit CE requests to ensure that all education offered under CSEA’s sponsorship will pass muster in the event of an OPR audit. Our Committee also spent time reviewing and evaluating the financial results of all of our educational offerings. Recommendations about which programs should be eliminated and which should be continued (with even greater profitability) were shared with CSEA staff. Ethics & Professional Conduct Thomas W. Johnston, EA This year the Ethics & Professional Conduct Committee continued its commitment to educating Members in their responsibilities under Circular 230 and the California Business and Professions Code. The “If You Were the Judge” column continued in every issue of the California Enrolled Agent magazine thanks to participation of all the Committee and many of the supporting members. Articles multiplied considerably with magazine submissions from Committee members and several CSEA Past Presidents, as well as a Professional Affiliate. The official articles from the Committee were the eye-opening article “IRS CPE Audits” by Anne Arms, EA, and an update of the 2008 article “17 Ways to Avoid a Complaint to the Ethics Committee” by Tom Johnston, EA. Non-Committee articles were: “Return Preparer Registration” by David A. Shaw, EA, Immediate Past President; “Basic Ethics Issues” by Connie Farrell, EA, Past President 2008-2009; “CSEA Addresses Proposed Circular 230 Changes” by Jennifer MacMillan, EA, Past President and CSEA Circular 230 Task Force The Education Committee recognizes that we must integrate technology into our delivery of educational offerings while at the same time continuing our ability to deliver the best quality product. One of our challenges is integrating the camaraderie experienced at events like Super Seminars and Chapter meetings into a seminar delivered through the convenience of your computer. This will remain a focus of this Committee during the next year as we produce some of these “hybrid” events. With the retirement of Executive Vice President Cathy Apker, CAE in January 2011 and the hiring of Scarlett Vanyi, CAE, the Education Committee played a larger role in the delivery of this year’s Super Seminars to ensure a smooth transition. I am thrilled with how quickly Ms. Vanyi has been able to grasp our culture and our educational programs, and I am excited by her commitment to leading our organization and programs into the future. I would like to thank all of the Education Committee members and supporting members for their hard work and dedication throughout the year, especially their willingness to participate in conference calls that were held monthly. I particularly appreciate the hard work and support of Debi Nogle, our CSEA Staff Liaison, and the contributions of Cognizant Officer Raven Deerwater, EA, PhD and Vice Chair Connie Ferrell, EA. These three were vital to providing me with strong support throughout my first year as Education Committee Chair. Respectfully submitted, Margaret Dunn, EA – Chair COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Anne T. Arms, EA, Sandra L. Danioth-Jones, EA, Cognizant Officer Raven Deerwater, EA, PhD, Vice Chair Connie L. Ferrell, EA, James E. Houston, EA, Patricia A. Pringle, EA, and Sharyn A. Scarrott, EA. Chair; and “New Representation Rules – IRS Depositions” by Steven L. Walker, Professional Affiliate. During the year Irene Lawrence, EA, Past President, and Tom Johnston, EA, reviewed the sample documents and updated and expanded them to include more engagement letters and the IRS disclosure and use documents. After appropriate review by CSEA’s attorney the documents were added to the new CSEA website. The Committee reviewed and revised its charter and procedures. A continuing project is the Investigator Training packet. Respectfully submitted Thomas W. Johnston, EA – Chair COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Anne T. Arms, EA, Timothy G. Flavin, EA, Robert D. Gardner, EA, Vice Chair Rose Hablitzel, EA, and Irene Lawrence, EA. CSEA 2010-2011 Year in Review 17 COmmiTTEES
Page 1 and 2: YEAR IN REVIEW The annual CSEA Year
Page 3 and 4: CSEA Members have actively particip
Page 5 and 6: President Kim Kastl, EA This year h
Page 7 and 8: looking into issues of California c
Page 9 and 10: In the intervening time since the N
Page 11 and 12: EDUCATION • • • • • Plann
Page 13 and 14: CSEA 2010-2011 Year in Review 13 iN
Page 15: CSEA 2010-2011 Year in Review 15 iN
Page 19 and 20: TBR) hearing in December. Input for
Page 21 and 22: who write (and presumably understan
Page 23 and 24: Circular 230 Task Force To protect
Page 25 and 26: Central Coast The Central Coast Cha
Page 27 and 28: Far Northern California Way back in
Page 29 and 30: Los Angeles Our Chapter maintained
Page 31 and 32: Orange County It’s hard for me to
Page 33 and 34: San Fernando Valley As with many Ch
Page 35 and 36: Japan Society of Enrolled Agents Ou

2010-2011 Year in Review - California Society of Enrolled Agents

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?