So What States Have Active Amnesties in Place?

I thought it would be good to give a rundown of which states are offering amnesty programs right now and give some details from CCH on each of the programs. Many of these expire in June. Arizona's expires on June 1. Better hurry! Some of them have significant caveats associated so let the tax manager beware.

Here's the list (click on the link for additional details):

MA -- Expires 6/30/09

MD -- Expires 10/30/09

CT -- Expires 6/25/09

NJ -- Expires 6/15/09

AZ -- Expires 6/1/09

Are You an Offensive Linemen or a Quarterback?

How Do You Measure Performance?

When we talk to tax professionals in corporate America about metrics they use in measuring performance, the number of the various types of tax returns they file is usually high on the list of measurables. They usually talk about the number of people in the tax department and how they have it staffed in terms of the level of specialization. This is completely understandable. Tax people have a huge job. All these returns have to get in on time and accurately or penalties and interest is the result.

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What the Texas Legislature Hath Wrought

What the Texas Legislature Hath Wrought

We have been saying all along that we thought that Texas legislators didn't really understand what they were voting for when they enacted this new "margin tax" in Texas. Texas has alway been "business friendly". It's a major factor businesses consider when deciding to relocate to this fair state. But the special committee headed by John Sharp that conceived of this tax apparently suffered from California envy. Now Texas has the most onerous corporate income tax in the Union. The legislators who voted for this thing are already hearing it from the Taxpaxers and you can bet the noise will get louder and louder. The Comptroller's Office is charged with implementing this stinker and they seem to making a huge effort to educate the public. The office of Texas Comptroller is an elected position. How would you like to be the Comptroller responsible for implementing the worst tax ever passed by the State of Texas? Susan Combs is just the messenger, but she's getting an earful. She could turn into a hero, if she becomes the public champion of the "Let's Repeal this Tax" committee. Then the legislature would be under a huge amount of pressure. We'll see how this all develops.

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