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A Love Letter to Spreadsheets
“The spreadsheet will become irrelevant”
— BuccoCapital Bloke (@buccocapital) April 9, 2026
No. The spreadsheet is eternal. The spreadsheet paradigm IS capitalism. The two are irrevocably intertwined.
We were using spreadsheets 3,000 years ago to trade oxen. We will still use them in 3,000 years
Long live the spreadsheet https://t.co/V4wZw149Qs pic.twitter.com/FyN4bTexn9
Audit
ICAS opens accelerated route to UK AQ for overseas auditors [The Accountant Online]
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has launched a new pathway for experienced overseas auditors to obtain UK Audit Qualification (AQ) and move more swiftly to ICAS membership and chartered accountant status. The scheme, which has received approval from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), is aimed at senior members of a range of internationally recognised professional accountancy bodies.
UK accounting watchdog to probe PwC’s audit of investment trust Digital 9 [Reuters]
Britain’s accounting watchdog on Thursday opened a probe into PricewaterhouseCoopers’ financial audit of UK-based investment trust Digital 9 Infrastructure (DGI9.L), opens new tab for the fiscal year ended December 2023. “We will cooperate fully with the FRC in its enquiries. Audit quality is of paramount importance and we are committed to delivering high-quality audits,” a PwC spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
AI
In This Critical Part of Audits, the Accountant’s Role Is Shrinking Fast [Wall Street Journal]
Accounting firms are scaling back the role of human auditors in routine testing of things like payroll and revenue contracts, long a critical part of their work, amid a greater reliance on AI agents. KPMG said it plans to remove humans from routine testing so they can focus on more complicated tasks, while “orchestration agents”—which autonomously manage several agents, potentially more than 20—handle testing duties. That switch will start with a pilot program this summer, with plans for full AI agent deployment on certain tests next year.
EY’s talent chief says AI is changing the entire employee lifecycle, from talent development to promotions [Business Insider]
“Undoubtedly, AI is changing how work is done,” Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas’ chief talent and culture officer, told Business Insider in an interview. “The traditional organizational pyramid is giving way to more flexible career portfolios, where impact matters more than title or tenure. Managers’ roles are evolving quickly,” she added. “They’re increasingly responsible for cultivating a psychologically safe environment where people can experiment, fail forward and learn from AI; coaching and developing others; and leading teams comprised of both humans and agents.”
Accounting Firms Navigate Compensation as AI Tools Upend Work [Bloomberg Podcasts]
Artificial intelligence is putting accounting firm leaders on alert for workers well-versed in using and managing the new tools as the industry invests heavily in modernizing workflows.
Tax
New U.S. Postal Service Rules Could Affect Whether Your Tax Filing Is Considered On Time [National Taxpayer Advocate]
The USPS adopted new rules governing postmarks, effective December 24, 2025. Instead of reflecting the date when you drop your mail in a mailbox or hand it to a carrier, a postmark may reflect when the mail is first processed at a USPS facility. While these changes are intended to improve mail processing efficiency at limited post offices, they may have unintended consequences for taxpayers who rely on the mail to file returns or send payments, depending on how the USPS implements its new procedures.
What bothers Americans most about taxes? Feeling that some corporations, wealthy people don’t pay their fair share [Pew Research Center]
A Pew Research Center survey, conducted Jan. 20-26 among 8,512 U.S. adults, also finds that: 51% of Americans say the complexity of the federal tax system bothers them a lot. That’s roughly on par with past years; 41% are bothered a lot by the amount they personally pay in taxes. That share has grown steadily over the last several years; Only 12% say a sense that lower-income people don’t pay their fair share bothers them a lot.
IRS CEO, in Brooklyn, promotes tax breaks and refunds alongside GOP House member [POLITICO]
“We have issued 70 million refunds,” IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano said. “We have processed over 100 million tax returns. And the refunds are totaling $242 billion. That’s an average of $3,400 and 11 percent higher than last year.”
Whitehall tax collector charged with harassing owners of homeless nonprofit [NBC Philadelphia]
A former Republican mayoral candidate and tax collector for Whitehall Township is facing charges of harassment and official oppression after, law enforcement officials allege, she intentionally lied to harass the owners of The Caring Place nonprofit organization.
12 years in prison for NJ man in $170M COVID-19 tax relief fraud case [New Jersey Monitor]
A Teaneck tax preparer was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for orchestrating what prosecutors say is the largest COVID-19 tax relief fraud case tried to date in the nation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced Wednesday. “Pandemic relief programs were created to support Americans during a national crisis, but Haynes — a tax preparer entrusted to help people comply with the law — treated those programs as a personal cash machine,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement. “Our office will continue to pursue those who exploit emergency relief programs and hold them accountable for stealing from the American people.”