Roger Russell

Call this a story about nurturing the goose that laid the golden egg.

The Senate Finance Committee held hearings last week to consider the effects of the soon-to-expire “Bush” tax cuts, and those problems could be magnified for tax practitioners and their clients.

In her first report of the year, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson cited the new Form 1099 reporting requirements among her objectives for focus during the fiscal year ahead.

The Supreme Court’s much-anticipated Bilski decision earlier this week affirmed that business methods can be patented, although it rejected the specific patent at issue.

An overwhelming majority of senior financial executives say their tax department’s top priority is not tax savings or their effective rate, but timely and accurate tax return and financial reporting, according to a national survey of CFOs and senior comptrollers conducted by Grant Thornton LLP.

A case decided earlier this week by the South Carolina Supreme Court may have nationwide implications on tax reporting.

Both the American Institute of CPAs and the American Bar Association Tax Section have told the Internal Revenue Service it should withdraw its proposed rule that would require companies with more than $10 million in total assets to disclose uncertain tax positions on the new Schedule UTP, Uncertain Tax Position Statement.

Although we’ve been waiting for an “extenders” bill for some time, the one now before the Ways and Means Committee contains some controversial provisions that have generated quick and vociferous opposition.

Tax Credit Company president Brandon Edwards calls the HIRE Act a “game changer” for mid-market and smaller companies that now can take advantage of the hiring incentive program.

Supreme Court nominee wrote a brief on behalf of the IRS in a far-reaching tax case that could come before the Supreme Court.

Sales and use taxes are key issues for many states that have been hit with dwindling revenue due to the economic downturn. And there’s a case now on appeal in a New York court that is being closely watched by other states suffering a loss of tax revenue from Internet sales.

The comment period set by the Internal Revenue Service onthe proposed preparer registration regulations closed earlier this week, with anumber of professional groups offering their opinions.

A change in the structure of the taxation of carried interest, passed by the House last December and included in the Obama administration budget for 2011, is becoming more likely as the Senate searches for revenue offsets.

Although my prowess in using social media has largely been learned from my offspring, there’s no question that its use has erupted across all forms and sizes of business.

Both the American Institute of CPAs and the American Bar Association Section of Taxation have urged Congress to correct the current state of federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes.

I haven’t yet read the 2,400-plus pages of the Health Care Reform Bill (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) that President Obama signed into law on Tuesday. Not even the hundred-plus pages of tax provisions in the bill. But from talking to those who have, it looks like there is enough in it to keep tax professionals occupied for awhile.

An increasing percentage of tax advisors’ client base is now eligible for a Roth IRA, according to a survey of 500 tax advisors.

The recession has affected many companies harder than they anticipated. Most organizations experienced some kind of impact from the financial upheaval, according to a survey by Burlingame, Calif.-based Accountants International of 3,500 accounting, finance and human resource executives nationwide.

A number of economic surveys and indicators have surfaced in the past week, most of them mixed or uninspiring with regard to an economic recovery. But there are some positive signs.

The Senate’s latest stimulus effort, a “jobs bill” named the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, passed this week with a 70 to 28 margin.