March 2011

March 10, 2011

IRS Issues First Guidance on Nonprofit CO-OP Health Insurers

The IRS issued its first guidance on the requirements for new qualified nonprofit health insurance issuers under IRC § 501(c)(29) and has requested comments on specific issues (Notice 2011-23). The notice clarifies that the IRS is not yet accepting applications for recognition of tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(29) and will

March 10, 2011

Proposed International Standards Seek to Help Financial Market Infrastructures Withstand Financial Shocks

The SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Reserve are drawing attention to the release of a consultative report on Principles for financial market infrastructures, which contains new and more demanding international standards for payment, clearing and settlement systems, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said on

March 8, 2011

Senate Passes Bill Addressing Tax Strategy Patents

The Senate voted 95–5 Tuesday to pass the America Invents Act (S 23), which was formerly called the Patent Reform Act. Included in the bill is a provision intended to stop the granting of patents for tax strategies. That provision, in section 14 of the bill, would deem any “strategy

March 4, 2011

FASB Parent Creates Working Group on Private Company Reporting

FASB’s parent organization, the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), said Friday it is forming a working group to review the adequacy and effectiveness of FASB’s efforts in setting standards for the private company and nonprofit sectors. The creation of the working group follows the release earlier this year of a report

March 4, 2011

Pass-Throughs Dominate Tax Reform Conversation

While lawmakers and the Obama administration both support simplifying an Internal Revenue Code described by one witness as “grotesque in its complexity,” lines in the sand are quickly being drawn on how it should be done. These lines were evident in a March 3 House Ways and Means Select Revenues

March 3, 2011

House Passes 1099 Repeal

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011 (HR 4) by a 314–112 vote. The bill would repeal the expanded Form 1099 information reporting requirements mandated by last year’s health care legislation. It would also repeal the new 1099 reporting requirements imposed

March 3, 2011

Optimism Growing Despite Rising Inflation Concerns

Economic outlook is brightening this quarter, with optimism for the U.S. economy up sharply and expectations for hiring and business expansion improving as well, according to results from the AICPA/UNC Kenan-Flagler Business & Industry Economic Outlook Survey Q1 2011. However, optimism was slightly tempered by an increase in concern over

March 2, 2011

Coalition, AICPA Fight Government Contractor Withholding Law

The AICPA has added its voice to those calling on Congress to repeal a law that would require federal, state and local governments to withhold 3% on payments made to government contractors, and on Medicare, farm, and certain other payments. The potential impact of the withholding requirement is evident in

March 1, 2011

2011 Automobile Depreciation Limits Released

The IRS on Tuesday issued the 2011 inflation adjustments to the depreciation limitations and lease inclusion amounts for certain automobiles under IRC § 280F (Revenue Procedure 2011-21). This year, the IRS has provided the limitation amounts for vehicles placed in service in 2011 for which bonus depreciation under IRC §

March 1, 2011

Featured Online Content for March 2011

FEATURED INTERVIEW Combating IT Security Threats IT security threats are constantly evolving, so an organization’s response must also evolve and stay ahead of the game. In this interview, David Cieslak, CPA/CITP, principal at Arxis Technology, explores current security threats and discusses how the latest products and technologies can be applied

March 1, 2011

CPA Exam Slated for International Debut in August

The Uniform CPA Examination will be offered internationally for the first time during August in Japan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. It will thereafter be administered every third month—in November, February, May and August. Registration for the international exam will begin on May 1, and applications may

March 1, 2011

SEC OKs New GAAP Taxonomy for XBRL

The SEC has adopted the 2011 U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy, which is used for creating and submitting tagged interactive data files in extensible business reporting language (XBRL), the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) said in a press release Tuesday. The taxonomy contains updates for accounting standards and other improvements to