November / December President’s Message
Since the NSA Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, NSA’s committees have been busy and are holding monthly meetings. Thanks to all who have volunteered their time to serve their fellow members. A few committee highlights:
- Steve Haworth and the Right to Practice Committee are busy reviewing laws and regulations in all jurisdictions. At the request of Rep. Kevin Brady, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, our Federal Tax Committee will review the GOP tax reform proposal developed by Brady and provide comments to the committee from our perspective as small business owners and tax professionals.
- Sue Robertson and the Leadership Development Committee are working on the Leadership Development Program, the Leadership Networking Conference and the ASO Reporter newsletter for affiliates.
- Harlan Rose and the Membership Committee are exploring ways to enhance NSA’s member benefits help members make the most of their membership. One such benefit is the NSA fee study.
- The new 2016-2017 Income and Fees Survey Report is now available. It is an invaluable tool that our members can download and use to compare firms, fees and services across the country. Read more about it and get the results here.
- Roy Frick, Kathy Hammer, and the Education Committee are working on educational programming and seminars including the 2017 Annual Meeting in Reno next August, a full slate of webinars for next year and the NSA Enrolled Agent Review course. NSA held a successful Gear Up 1040 seminar at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut, November 10-11.
- Mary Lemons and the Governance Committee are updating NSA’s Administrative Policies and are developing a new awards program for NSA members and staff who have gone above and beyond.
- Bill Silzer and the Long Range Planning Committee have started charting the NSA course for years to come.
As always, the NSA staff is busy working with leadership and the committees to pursue a more integrated and efficient future of NSA.
NSA Executive Vice President, John Ams and I attended the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) 109th Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. We discussed with NASBA leadership several areas where NASBA, the Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation (ACAT), and NSA may be able to work cooperatively for the good of all our members, one of which was the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT), which promotes ethics for accountants. The CPT works with accounting honor societies and students of accounting to raise student ethical awareness. NSA committees are currently exploring a partnership with CPT to work together for mutual benefit.
As you know and we can see from the fee study, the cost of running a business keeps going up and as a result, so do tax preparation fees. We have been very fortunate to hold NSA dues at $199 since 2011-double check. That’s six years without an increase. In 2017, NSA dues will be increasing. More detailed information is on this page. You can renew your NSA membership at any time and lock in the current rate for up to three years.
Finally, should you wish to get involved with the committees, please let me know. We have room and tasks enough to go around for leaders in most every committee.
