AccountingWEB US

Cary Walkin, a CA and video game enthusiast in Canada, found a novel way of using Excel for something other than number crunching. Walkin, who is also an MBA candidate at the Schulich School of Business, created a video game using nothing but Excel.

Todays' workplace fitness exercise is a nice stretch for your upper body.

Mark W. Everson, the former Commissioner of the IRS, sees a bumpy road ahead in tax circles due to pending sequester cuts, growing taxpayer identification theft, and looming health care reforms. But Everson has complete faith in the nation's tax collector's ability to rise to the challenges it will be facing.

The TIGTA said in a report publicly issued March 26, that the CAP program, a new cooperative effort between the IRS and business taxpayers to conduct real-time audits, is receiving positive feedback, but it may not be cost-efficient.

On March 27, a federal appeals court refused to lift an injunction issued January 18 by a lower court against the IRS's effort to license tax preparers. The ruling means the IRS's requirements for mandatory testing and continuing education of all tax preparers remain suspended.

Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell was back in the spotlight in early March, but he probably wishes he wasn't. This appearance wasn't on the field and not on an ESPN special, but in an Orlando federal court to enter a guilty plea for his role in a tax fraud case.

There's little doubt that Ali Paul, leadership and outreach manager at the Indiana CPA Society, is truly "inspiring" people. For the second time in less than four months, Paul has been honored for her efforts to increase diversity in the accounting profession.

On March 27, the IRS announced the expedited processing of some 600,000 tax returns filing Form 8863, Education Credits, that were delayed due to "a problem with a limited number of software company products."

The US Supreme Court announced it will review a suit involving the IRS' practice of imposing 40 percent penalties on allegedly abusive tax shelters.

Today's workplace fitness exercise will get your heart pumping.

The IRS has issued its annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams for 2013 to remind taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes, ranging from identity theft to impersonation of charitable organizations.

In the fight against financial reporting fraud, members of the financial reporting supply chain have a new tool to advance their fraud deterrence and detection capabilities. The Anti-Fraud Collaboration has published the "Hollate Manufacturing Case Study" to raise awareness of environments in which fraud might flourish.

Enterprise Worldwide, an international association of independent accounting firms, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Porter Hétu International, an association of independent member firms across Canada.

On March 26, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) announced it is proposing a framework for reorganizing the existing interim and PCAOB-issued auditing standards into a topical structure with a single integrated numbering system.

The IRS scrutinized estate tax returns more than any category of individual tax returns in tax year 2011, at close to a 30 percent rate of examination, while individual income tax returns with $1 million or more in income saw a slight decline in audit coverage.

Today's workplace fitness exercise targets your arm muscles.

Jennifer Miller is one of Somerset CPAs' employees who participates in the firm's on-site corporate yoga program. The program offers the firm's 150 employees the chance to untether themselves from their desks twice a month during tax season to participate in a forty-five-minute yoga session led by a registered yoga therapist hired by the firm.

On March 25, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) posted on its website a sixteen-page staff document that responds to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about its proposed Accounting Standards Update, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Subtopic 825-15).

Responding to criticism by a high-ranking member of the House's tax-writing committee, the IRS now admits it should have scuttled a quirky video based on the iconic "Star Trek" TV show. But the agency continues to maintain that another video parody, this one based on "Gilligan's Island," should not be cast away.

On March 25, the IRS announced the release of its "2012 Internal Revenue Service Data Book," which provides a snapshot of agency activities.The report includes information about returns filed, taxes collected, enforcement actions, taxpayer assistance, and the IRS budget and workforce, along with other data.