Smart Tax Featured in Accounting Today

Smart Tax was recently featured in a great article in Accounting Today entitled, “Tax Registration Regime Takes Shape.” The article delves into the recent laws the IRS has implemented and how this will affect the tax preparation industry as a whole. Some of these new regulations on the industry include continuing education, more testing, identification numbers and fees. Many industry experts discuss the pros and cons of the new laws and how to prepare for tax season 2011. Nick Rizzi offers his opinion on how the new regulations are actually a good thing for the industry as a whole and how Smart Tax is already prepared for the new changes. By continuing to adapt to the economy and new government regulations, Smart Tax is able to support the franchisees in its system and make a smoother transition for independent preparers looking to partner with an established franchise. See Nick Rizzi's comments on the new laws below and the article can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.

Tax registration regime takes shape
The IRS moves rapidly to clarify the requirements, fees, CPE rules, and expectations
By Roger Russell

For Nick Rizzi, chief executive of tax preparation franchisor Smart Tax, the new process is a good thing. "In the areas in which we operate, you have one office that follows all the rules, and we try to be that guy," he said. "Then you have four or five people that do returns in the back of a travel agency or money transfer store. It's usually a 19-year-old girl with a laptop and a copy of some software. So we're all for the new rules because we've been following IRS standards all along."

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New IRS Laws Spike Independent Conversions to Larger Systems

If you are in the tax preparation industry, there are many new laws implemented by the IRS this year, which will affect the way you do business. Starting mid-September, the IRS will be implementing stricter laws on tax preparers across the country which will include continuing education requirements on preparers, passing a series of tests to renew licenses through the IRS. These laws are being implemented to increase the qualification of preparers across the country. Included in these new laws is a mandatory registration for independent tax preparers where all paid tax preparers must register for a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) which is set to begin mid-month. This is one more law to further monitor the industry and increase the quality of service.

Resulting from the newly founded laws, a trend is emerging in the tax preparation field. Many independent preparers are converting to larger tax preparation firms, with systems already in place to help support new laws and initiatives. Independents recognize that larger, established systems will provide the services, bank relationships, and handle mandatory deadlines for the entire system to ensure that the business as a whole is prepared for these changes.

With 80% of Americans using a tax preparation service and with new, stricter IRS regulations, the tax industry as a whole will need to adapt and many small tax preparers unable to make these required changes will be eliminated in result.

With all of these new boundaries in place for tax season 2011, the tax preparation industry needs to be more organized than ever before. Smart Tax franchise has transitioned to prepare themselves for the upcoming tax season and welcomes independents into its system; offering preparers who file over 250 files per year a free conversion into a Smart Tax franchise.

For more questions, please refer to the IRS Laws online at: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=217781,00.html\