Ihad scheduled one session before the free box lunch break and two after – but endedup with only one afternoon session. Ihad originally planned to attend the session on Current Developments –Business, but after reviewing the session workbook I determined there wasreally nothing new for me to learn. Rather than sit around the hotel for the 50minutes between sessions I decided to head back to my Mount Vernon CulturalDistrict located hotel to check email and work on my post.
Whilethere are a multitude of educational sessions to choose from at Conference eachyear, I am in a unique situation. I donot accept any new 1040 clients, and do not accept any “entity” clients(partnerships and corporations). I haveno desire to represent taxpayers before the IRS (other than to attend audits ofreturns I have prepared). And I will besleeping through the required 2 hours of ethics preaching at the NATP year-endupdate in November – so no need to waste the 2 hours (actually 100 minutes)now. In reality there are only so manysessions of interest, or actual value, to me – one reason why I often find theannual National Conference not cost effective.
Mymorning session was another attempt at “Stump the Stars” (actually Stump theInstructors). Over the years NATP hastried this type of format in various incarnations – Panel of Experts, Ask theResearch Director, Frequently Asked Research Questions, etc – with anindividual or panel addressing a variety of questions on all aspects of taxes eithersubmitted prior to the session or from the floor. I have always liked this kind of session, andalways attended when offered, and wish it were an annual offering (like CurrentDevelopments).
Thissession had three of the current instructors (one of whom was Beanna Whitlock,who was more serious this time around) answer questions, some previously submittedvia email (I had received an email solicitation last week, and did not submit aquestion) but most from the floor.
Onequestion from the floor concerned the reason for one of my “eccentricities”.
Apreparer thought she had taken care of a client issue with an IRSrepresentative over the phone, and had submitted via fax all requiredinformation to facilitate the settlement as per what she had been told by theIRS person. However a few months laterthe client received an IRS notice that a lien had been placed on his businessproperty – which ended up FU-ing the mortgage refinancing process that he wasgoing through. So the issue was notsettled as the preparer had thought – the IRS staffer lied and totally ignoredwhat had been agreed upon.
Overthe years I, and my clients, have been lied to left and right over thetelephone by IRS employees and NJ Division of Taxation representatives. I decided several years back never to address a federal or state taxissue over the phone. If an issue arisesI will never initiate contact via afederal or state “practitioner hotline”, but will always contact the IRS, or NJDOT, in writing – so I have a writtenrecord of my contact and the agency’s response. It takes longer – but it usually ends in a satisfactory resolution andminimal, if any, agita.
Nobodywas able to “stump” the instructors – who gave good (and in my opinion correct)answers to all questions.
Theafternoon session was “Audit Proof Your Client’s Return” – with every seat filledand several attendees sitting on the floor. The instructor was new to me, and I think NATP as well, and providedsome good suggestions.
Ihave three more sessions tomorrow. I dobelieve I will meet my 15 hour CPE requirement at Conference, although I willbe short 1 hour of “updates” (more than covered by the year-end class inNovember) and the 2 wasted, but required, hours of “ethics” preaching.
TTFN
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