Tax practitioners brace for 2009 season

摘要

The holidays ahead signal the start of serious tax season preparation for most tax preparers. Staffing, training, testing new software and technology, and becoming proficient on the latest tax law changes are at the top of most preparers' to-do lists. And the state of the economy, naturally, remains on peoples' minds. "In recessionary times, people are looking to cut expenses," said Mike Solomon, partner-in-charge at the Philadelphia office of Amper, Politziner & Mattia. "We're experi- encing a lot more fee pressure as an ind ustry than ever before, so it will be hard to get that 3 or 4 percent inflationary increase. Clients are more closely examining their fees, as well as looking for more opportunities to reduce their tax burden." Boston-area regional firm DiCicco, Gul-man & Co. LLP, in anticipation of tax season, has just completed a major office shift, explained chief operating officer Cheryl Burke: "We re-organized the firm by practice group area. The reason is to better focus on clients, our staff and the firm. Each of our clients will now have a dedicated team — audit and tax expertise exists in all the groups." "We planned for tax season by investing in training, and making sure the staff knows the strategy and understands thegoalsofthe firm," she continued. "Our clients need us to be there for them, and we want to keep them focused on client service."