Last week, members of The Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) leadership team along with CEO Boyd Search visited Capitol Hill to share the accounting profession’s advocacy agenda with lawmakers. The visits are a highlight of the three-day meeting of the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) governing Council in Washington, D.C.

GSCPA delegates met with the offices of 12 Georgia congressmen and both U.S. senators. Several issues of importance to the CPA profession and the public were discussed including tax reform, improvement of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxpayer services, mobile workforce legislation and the fiscal state of the nation.

“The Georgia Society represents the interests of its members not only at the local level but also at a national level,” said GSCPA CEO Boyd Search. “This week we had the opportunity to educate and lobby representatives on key issues affecting our members, their clients, and the CPA profession as a whole.”

Top issues discussed:

Thought Leadership on Tax Reform

• The proliferation of new income tax provisions since the 1986 tax reform effort has led to complex compliance hurdles for taxpayers, administrative complexity, and enforcement challenges for the IRS. CPAs consistently promote tax simplification because we are convinced such actions will reduce taxpayers’ compliance costs, encourage voluntary compliance, and facilitate enforcement actions.

Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution

• The CPA profession has long held the view that the federal financial statements provide important information that should be considered by policymakers in making key decisions. H.Con.Res.8, the Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution, would require the Comptroller General to give a presentation to a joint session of Congress on the Government Accountability Office’s audited financial statements, together with an analysis of its financial position and condition.

Improvement of IRS Taxpayer Services

• We are committed to supporting Congress in its efforts to ensure a service-oriented, modernized tax administration system that earns the respect and appreciation of taxpayers, as well as their CPAs.

The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification

• Currently, each state imposes different income tax withholding requirements for non-residents performing work in the state. CPAs support proposals that would create a uniform national standard that will put residents of all states under the same standards.

“It was a great day to be a CPA! Spending the day with our fellow CPAs, meeting with our Georgia delegation, and sharing the voice of the profession that we all worked so hard to join was truly energizing,” said GSCPA Chair-Elect Rodney Chandler, CPA. “We sincerely appreciate the time and attention that each of our representatives gave to us.”