- Tax experts share tips
- Security tweaks for nonprofits
- NY Fed event
- Crunch Night
- Breakfast briefing
Queens/Brooklyn Chapter member Patrick R. Colabella answers phones during an early shift on the first day of the three-day New York Daily News tax panel.
Tax experts share tips with community through tax panels
From Long Island to Buffalo, free income tax filing help for individuals and businesses was just a phone call away, and in some cases, live help could be found online.
More than 130 NYSSCPA members from 10 chapters volunteered their time and tax expertise to answer more than 1,600 questions during the Society’s annual public tax panels, cosponsored by local newspapers.
From left: Assistant Comptroller for State Government Accountability Jerry Barber, presenter Suzanne Mazone, Jewish Family Services and the Erie County Agency Executives Association’s Marlene Schillinger, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, presenter Sharon Salembier, Buffalo Chapter President-elect Patricia A. Johnson, and Michael Weiner, CEO of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.
NYS comptroller liaison advises simple security tweaks for nonprofits
Many nonprofit organizations lack adequate protection from potential fraud, but with a few small organizational adjustments, they can safeguard their resources, said speakers from the state comptroller’s office at a March 19 Buffalo Chapter continuing professional education event.
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NYSSCPA Vice President and Manhattan/Bronx Chapter Past President J. Michael Kirkland introduces two speakers at the March 1 Manhattan/Bronx New York Federal Reserve chapter event. The presentation, given by New York Federal Reserve Senior Vice President Richard Peach and Senior Economist Jason Bram, provided a broad economic overview as well as a regional analysis of what the New York Fed has observed and expects to see in 2012.
New York Federal Reserve talks economic recovery
The stock market is up, unemployment is down, and consumers have easier access to credit, said Richard Peach, senior vice president of the New York Federal Reserve during a Manhattan/Bronx Chapter continuing professional education event on March 1. In those respects, the economy is quite well—or at least it’s “definitely better than it was.
Syracuse Chapter member Casey Christopher, second from left, in the stands at the YCPA “Crunch Night” event he organized.
Syracuse YCPAs keep busy throughout the winter
The winter season was a busy one for the Syracuse Chapter YCPAs. In November, the YCPAs held their annual Networking Cocktail Party at PJ’s Pub & Grill in Syracuse. More than 60 people attended, including young professionals in the accounting, banking, legal, insurance and financial planning sectors.
Panelists prepare for a discussion about non-CPA firm ownership in New York while NYSSCPA Executive Director Joanne S. Barry, far right, gives an introduction during the Society’s Feb. 3 breakfast briefing. From left, moderator and former Accounting Today Editor-in-Chief William Carlino, and panelists Robert L. Goldfarb, Alan D. Sobel, Charles L. Talbert III and Charles Weinstein..
Panel explores non–CPA firm ownership at breakfast briefing
Should CPA firms allow a minority of its owners to be non-CPAs? It’s a question that has already been decided in 48 other jurisdictions, but New York, the birthplace of the certified public accountant, remains one of only six jurisdictions that still demand its CPA firms be owned 100 percent by CPAs.
Barry named Outstanding Association Executive
NYSSCPA Executive Director Joanne S. Barry was named the 2012 Outstanding Association Executive by the New York Society of Association Executives. Barry received the award at the association’s Annual Synergy Awards Luncheon and Celebration of Community Service on April 18 in New York City.
Connect with the NYSSCPA on LinkedIn
In the last few weeks, a few thousand Society members across the state were able to participate in private, professional discussions with other members—ranging from marketing for accountants, cloud computing and networking techniques, to income taxes and auditor rotation—view and post CPA job listings, and promote services and events to fellow Society members, all online.
In memoriam: Finlayson, past Westchester Chapter president, dies
Former Westchester Chapter President Carrie S. Finlayson, the first woman to occupy the chapter’s highest leadership role, passed away on April 3 at age 69.
What today’s leaders need to know about millennials
About 12 years ago, New Jersey Institute of Technology librarian Richard Sweeney began to notice something curious about the students coming into the library. Speaking at the FAE Higher Education Conference, held April 20 at the offices of KPMG in New York City, Sweeney said those students acted different from their older peers:
Society to IRS: Clarify foreign income reporting rules
The NYSSCPA told the IRS to increase exemptions and penalty thresholds, and insert additional clarification and guidance in a set of regulations concerning the reporting of foreign income which the service has proposed to make permanent.
Society: More exchange between auditor, audit committee is
‘the right direction’
The NYSSCPA supports the overall push to expand on how auditors and audit committees communicate, but sought clarification or revision on a number of specific points in a recent Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s proposal.
New York state takes fresh look at use tax
In tax forms and guidance, they’re usually paired: “the sales and use tax.” But the “use tax” tends to be the forgotten sibling—difficult to track and pay, with rules that consumers are not familiar with. But New York, like many states looking to collect every dime owed, is trying to change that.
Members react to President’s corporate tax rate reform plans
Much has been written about President Barack Obama’s proposal, released back in February, which would lower the corporate income tax rate from its current statutory rate of 35 percent to 28 percent, a shift that would be balanced by closing certain loopholes and ending some subsidies. But what do NYSSCPA members think?
IRS reps, committee members discuss current issues
The IRS is being asked to collect more tax revenue with fewer resources at its disposal, creating a more challenging environment for IRS staff, as well as taxpayers and their advisers, said a panel of senior IRS personnel during a Jan. 18 discussion hosted by the NYSSCPA Relations with the IRS Committee.
NYSSCPA President thanks member volunteers
The NYSSCPA thanks the Society’s principal comment letter drafters for their time, expertise and dedication to excellence this past year. Through their efforts, we are able to participate and have a voice in the processes that so greatly affect our profession and the public.
Society approves FASB plan to better define investment, real estate companies
A pair of proposed accounting standards updates released by the Financial Accounting Standards Board that would, among other things, clarify the definitions of an investment company and a real estate investment entity have received support and recommendations from the NYSSCPA.
Society, state work together to improve CFR system
The NYSSCPA and New York state are working together to examine the consolidated fiscal report, a standardized form used by service providers that receive state tax dollars to report their expenses and revenues. The state hopes to identify ways to improve the reporting and auditing of annual costs associated with organizations that utilize public funds.
This is my last column as your president and, I would like to thank each and every member for giving me the honor and privilege to serve these past two years as your President–Elect and as your President. 
Joanne S. Barry became executive director of the NYSSCPA in the spring of 2010. She talks here about her five-year vision to transform the Society into an organization that can adapt to future generations with different mindsets, priorities and ways of engaging in the marketplace. 
Robert L. Megna, director of New York’s Division of the Budget, recently oversaw the passage of the second on-time state budget since the 1980s. He was appointed to the position in 2009 by former Gov. David A. Paterson, and was retained when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo took office. Prior to serving as budget director, Megna headed the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance. 