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Effective date of AU-C Section 905 in compliance audit a matter of judgment

Auditors should use professional judgment of the circumstances to determine which effective date of AU-C Section 905 applies in a compliance audit performed pursuant to AU-C Section 935, Compliance Audits, and Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations, according to a new

Tax tables, other inflation adjustments, issued for 2013

On Friday, the IRS issued Rev. Proc. 2013-15, which contains inflation-adjusted items for 2013, as well as the new income tax rate tables now in effect as a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, P.L. 112-240 (the Act). In October 2012, when the IRS issued its usual

“Exciting and challenging times” coming for auditors

International auditing standards appear set for a period of substantial change as investors seek more information, new forms of reporting emerge, and companies look to provide assurance on additional items. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) plans to release an exposure draft in June in its ongoing project

More North American companies rewarding internal auditors with pay raises, perks

Internal auditors—whose roles have increased in importance in recent years due to increased regulatory demands—were more likely to receive pay raises in 2012, and those with specialized skills and certifications received larger pay increases, according to new research. The analysis, conducted by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), also revealed

Appeals Court reverses Claims Court, disallows LILO deductions

In an opinion that appears to close the door on lease-in, lease out (LILO) tax shelters once and for all, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision Wednesday reversing and remanding a case to the Court of Federal Claims, which had upheld the transaction (Consolidated Edison Co. of

New mechanisms eyed by FASB, IASB in long march toward global comparability

The mechanisms for continuing to facilitate global comparability in accounting standards will change over the next few years. But the leaders of two major standard-setting boards said Thursday during a meeting in New York City that the commitment to global comparability remains. With their joint board meetings and convergence projects

CPAs: Fixing deficit should be government’s top economic priority

CPAs have serious concerns about the U.S. federal budget deficit. Fifty-four percent of the more than 1,700 AICPA members surveyed Dec. 4 through Dec. 24 said deficit reduction should be the top economic priority for the U.S. government. Lagging far behind fixing the deficit were other priorities: Creating jobs (23%),

Enforcement director Khuzami leaves SEC

Turnover in key staff roles at the SEC continued Wednesday with the announcement that the commission’s enforcement director, Robert Khuzami, is departing. Khuzami was named enforcement director in February 2009. The SEC brought a record 735 enforcement actions in fiscal year 2011, and brought almost as many – 734 –

Start of tax season delayed until Jan. 30; later for some taxpayers

The IRS announced on Tuesday that it plans to open the 2013 filing season and begin processing many individual income tax returns on Jan. 30 (IR-2013-2). However, not all taxpayers will be able to start filing tax returns on that date. The IRS says it will be able to begin

“Cliff” law reconfigures tax preparation and planning

With its scores of new and extended provisions, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 offers something for nearly all taxpayers and their preparers to assess and implement as they begin preparing 2012 returns and plan for the future. Less than two hours into 2013 and the “fiscal cliff” expiration

Regulations issued on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities issued at a premium

The IRS has issued final regulations on the tax treatment of Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) that have more than a de minimis amount of premium, and temporary and proposed regulations on debt instruments with bond premium carryforward in the holder’s final accrual period (T.D. 9609; REG-140437-12). The final regulations adopt

COSO searching for new chairman

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) is seeking a new chair for a three-year term that would begin June 1. Dave Landsittel, the current COSO chairman, plans to step down after serving in that capacity for the past four years. The board chair serves in a

New GASB standard addresses government combinations and disposals

GASB on Tuesday approved a standard geared toward the specific needs of state and local governments’ financial reporting of mergers, acquisitions, transfers of operations, and disposals of government operations. “Historically, governments have accounted for their mergers and acquisitions by analogizing to guidance intended for the private-sector business environment, which proved

FASB working on fair value disclosure exemption for nonpublic entities

FASB is moving quickly to clarify the applicability of a certain fair value disclosure requirement to nonpublic entities. In a Proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU), FASB asks for public comment on a clarification that is intended to reduce confusion among stakeholders. The proposal would amend Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-04,

IRS issues withholding tables for American Taxpayer Relief Act

On Friday, the IRS issued newly revised percentage withholding tables to implement the rates that will be in effect this year now that the American Taxpayer Relief Act, H.R. 8, has been enacted (Notice 1036, Rev. Jan. 2013, IR-2013-1). The tax rates in the tables are 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%,

FASAB issues standards for federal entities’ asset impairment

U.S. federal government entities will be required to report the effects of general property, plant, and equipment impairments under new standards issued Thursday by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 44, Accounting for Impairment of General Property, Plant, and Equipment Remaining in

To fight identity theft, IRS proposes rules for truncating identifying numbers

On Thursday, the IRS issued proposed regulations (REG-148873-09) that permit filers of information returns to use truncated taxpayer identification numbers (TTINs) when issuing payee statements in the Form 1099, 1098, and 5498 series (with the exception of Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes, because that form is

Proposed regs. issued on large employer health coverage shared responsibility provisions

The IRS has issued proposed regulations providing guidance on the large employer “shared responsibility” provisions in Sec. 4980H (REG-138006-12). Taxpayers can rely on the proposed regulations until the IRS issues final regulations or other applicable guidance. The IRS also posted FAQs on its website, explaining how the shared responsibility provisions

Tax and fiscal cliff resources

The Journal of Accountancy is dedicated to ensuring CPAs stay well informed about the tax issues. This page gathers together news stories and articles from AICPA magazines and newsletters discussing the many aspects of the fiscal cliff that loomed at the end of 2012. The fiscal cliff had many different

Congress passes fiscal cliff act

Pulling back from the “fiscal cliff” at the 13th hour, Congress on Tuesday preserved most of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts and extended many other lapsed tax provisions. Shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that had been heralded and, in some quarters, groused about throughout

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Clean data faster using Excel’s REGEX functions

Excel’s REGEX functions provide a simpler, flexible solution to text-cleaning tasks, reducing the need to combine multiple functions when cleaning imported data. This JofA Technology Q&A article shows the way with step-by-step instructions and a video walkthrough.