The IRS announced on its website that, beginning in 2014, it will stop providing a number of taxpayer assistance services in person or over the phone and will shift those services online. The move is designed to free up IRS employees to help taxpayers deal with issues, such as identity
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Financial instruments convergence in doubt after FASB decisions
FASB took what appears to be two steps back from convergence with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) last week with a pair of major tentative decisions in its project on accounting for financial instruments. In the classification and measurement portion of the project, the board decided not to continue
SEC to update rules for corporate disclosures
SEC Chairman Mary Jo White directed the commission’s staff to develop recommendations for updating the rules for what a company must disclose in its public filings, according to an SEC news release. The SEC staff issued a report to Congress on Friday recommending that the commission’s disclosure requirements be reevaluated
Senate confirms John Koskinen as IRS commissioner
The Senate on Friday voted 59–36 to confirm the nomination of John Koskinen to be the next IRS commissioner. Koskinen was nominated by President Barack Obama on Aug. 1. The previous commissioner, Douglas Shulman, stepped down in November 2012 at the end of his term. Since May 22, Daniel Werfel
EU audit reforms “raise serious concerns” for the CAQ
Audit market changes that were preliminarily agreed upon by European Union policymakers this week “raise serious concerns for audit quality,” Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) Executive Director Cindy Fornelli said in a statement. Mandatory audit firm rotation and prohibition of most nonaudit services by audit firms to their audit clients
Grant reform increases single-audit threshold, changes audit rules
New guidelines unveiled Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) raise a key threshold for compliance audits of entities that receive federal award money from $500,000 per fiscal year to $750,000 per fiscal year. Among other things, the new rules raise the federal awards threshold that triggers compliance
Six more countries sign FATCA agreements with U.S.
The Treasury Department announced on Thursday that the United States has signed six more bilateral agreements to implement the reporting and withholding provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), P.L. 111-147. The agreements with the Netherlands, Malta, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man bring the number
Guidance issued on tax treatment of National Mortgage Settlement payments
The IRS issued guidance on the correct tax treatment of payments taxpayers receive under the National Mortgage Settlement when their house is foreclosed on (Rev. Rul. 2014-2). The National Mortgage Settlement is an agreement reached in 2012 between the U.S. government and the attorneys general of 49 states and the
U.S. GAAP taxonomy for 2014 available
The 2014 U.S. GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy is available, pending final acceptance by the SEC, FASB announced Wednesday. The taxonomy, available at FASB’s website, contains updates for accounting standards and other improvements to the 2013 taxonomy. FASB is responsible for developing and maintaining the taxonomy that is used by public
EU member states approve mandatory audit firm rotation
The European Union took another step toward a mandatory audit firm rotation requirement Wednesday when member states approved new audit regulations. The new regulations and amendments approved include a requirement that audit firms rotate engagements with public-interest entities every 10 years—with provisions for longer periods when engagements are put out
IRS reveals start date for 2014 tax filing season
The IRS has finally announced an official start date for the 2014 filing season: It will start accepting returns on Jan. 31. This date is 10 days later than the originally planned starting date of Jan. 21. “The late January opening gives us enough time to get things right with
SEC proposal aims to aid small businesses
Rules proposed Wednesday by the SEC would build upon the Regulation A exemption with the intention of increasing smaller companies’ access to capital. The proposed rules would implement part of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012, P.L. 112-106, by making the Regulation A exemption more useful to
SEC sanctions total a record $3.4 billion in FY 2013
SEC enforcement actions resulted in a record $3.4 billion in monetary sanctions in fiscal year 2013, the commission announced Tuesday. The total was 10% higher than in FY 2012 and 22% higher than in FY 2011, when the SEC filed the most actions in agency history. The SEC filed 686
Six key risk areas merit attention in 2013 audit cycle
Auditing of internal control over financial reporting, a topic that has received a lot of attention from the PCAOB this year, is among the key risk factors for the 2013 audit cycle, according to a new Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) alert. The alert describes six key areas of potential
Notice answers many post-Windsor questions on cafeteria plans, FSAs
The IRS continues to consider the effects of the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision on federal tax law, and its most recent guidance deals with elections and reimbursements for cafeteria plans, health savings accounts (HSAs), and health, adoption, and dependent care flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) (Notice 2014-1). Windsor, 133 S. Ct.
Preliminary EU agreement includes audit firm rotation
European Union leaders have reached preliminary agreement on audit reforms that would include a requirement for audit firms of public-interest entities to rotate after an engagement of 10 years—with provisions that could extend that period if the engagement is put out for bid or joint audits are performed. The Lithuanian
FASAB seeks feedback on annual report
The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) is seeking stakeholders’ feedback on its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2013 and Three-Year Plan. “This is an opportunity for stakeholders to consider our progress and offer input to the board about its plans,” FASAB Chairman Tom Allen said in a news release
Align your controls with COSO’s principles
A mapping exercise is one of the most important activities for any organization implementing the updated 2013 internal control framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), experts say. The updated framework includes 17 newly described principles across the five components of internal control that were
What accounting fraud risk factors will attract SEC’s attention?
Rising stock prices may be correlated with increased risk of financial reporting fraud, the SEC’s David Woodcock said this week, and that creates urgency for him and the new task force he chairs at the agency. Woodcock chairs the SEC Financial Reporting and Audit Task Force, which was unveiled in
Immediate year-end planning opportunity for existing CRTs
On Dec. 2, the Treasury Department issued final regulations addressing the 3.8% net investment income tax under Sec. 1411 (T.D. 9644). Regs. Sec. 1.1411-3 addresses estates and trusts, including charitable remainder trusts (CRTs). The final regulations include an additional accounting method to tax CRT distributions. Distributions of income from a
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