USA Today has an article about how paid tax preparers are going to have to demonstrate certain competancy standards to get a preparer ID number and submit returns. It notes that those who are not CPAs, lawyers or IRS-enrolled agents will have to pass a competency test and meet annual continuing-education requirements. As usual, what gets me are the comments.
When you read them, you see an intense hatred of the IRS (justified) and of CPAs (not justified). Now, I’m an oddity. I’ve always used a CPA to prepare my tax return. Perhaps that’s because my mom was a CPA (one of the first women CPAs in California), and my dad was a PA and EA, and my father-in-law was a CPA. I’ve always seen the advantages of using one. They help with tax planning; they keep abreast of all the nuances of the law to that I can (a) stay legal and (b) not pay more than I need to pay. I know there are those that prefer to do it on their own or via Quicken/TurboTax—to each their own. We prefer to use a CPA.
So reading the comments irks me. CPAs are professionals. Most are sole-practitioners or work at small firms. These are the small businessmen and business women that help the community and provide a fair amount of employment. What is it about society today that makes people have antipathy towards the educated professional, be it the accountant, doctor, lawyer, or engineer?
