Is your Tax Professional Qualified?
July 29, 2004
By Jim Harnsberger, Sr. Tax Analyst

SAN DIEGO – How is it that you can take a single tax question to a dozen (or more) tax professionals, and literally receive a dozen (or more) answers to the very same question? Why is there such a wide and differing opinion among tax professionals? Why so many answers to your question? Why all the confusion?

There are numerous reasons to the question, WHY? Let’s first explore the industry of tax services, and begin to break down this question in an attempt to understand the real issues behind the problem.

First, not all tax professionals are created equally. From CPA’s, to Enrolled Agents (EA), to licensed tax preparers; you have an industry with such a wide range of educational background and experience that is not surprising that so many answers would come from one question.

Next we look at the educational requirements of the professional and quickly learn that most tax professionals complete on average, about 25 to 30 hours per year in continued education (CE) courses. Just enough time to learn about the new laws for next tax season.

Next, with the introduction of tax software in the early 1990’s, and now wide market use of off-the-shelf do-it-yourself software, most tax professionals spend little time reading or researching the complex issues in the Internal Revenue Code, to say nothing about court cases, Revenue Rulings, Memorandum Decisions and other published materials available at the click of a mouse. In fact you might be surprised to learn that less than 50% of the offices even have a recent copy of the Code or other official publications, let alone know how to conduct research necessary to answer even the most basic tax questions. Evidence of this lack of knowledge and understanding can be found in a very interesting statistic. In 1990 the IRS processed some 335,000 amended returns. By the end of 2004 that figure will grow to more than 4.2 million corrected returns.

However some firms are making a concentrated effort to change this problem. San Diego based Tax Smart America offers tax professionals a unique opportunity to truly become an expert in the field of taxation with hundreds of Certified Courses; ranging on average of about 260 hours per year in professional certification CE courses. Each of the associate offices operate under a unique license agreement (not a franchise) and the evidence of value can be seen in not only growing fees and clients, but professionals who truly know how to find a correct answer to a tax question. Offices under license can be found in several states in the company directory at www.taxsmartamerica.biz. Each of these offices has demonstrated the professional qualifications and personal desire to become a leader within the industry operating under the Business Methods Patent developed for the tax services industry. For more information contact any of the licensed offices by visiting the website or calling (619) 469-5800 for a referral for your tax problems or questions. Each office provides FREE CONSULTATIONS.