PA CPAs Suggest Liquor Stores Be Privatized, Less Enthused About Legal Marijuana
Sixty-nine percent of CPAs suggested privatizing liquor stores as the best measure to close the Keystone State's deficit. Only 27% of them like the idea of legalizing marijuana. Considering the puritanical liquor laws in the state — er, commonwealth — we should accept progress where we can get it. [PICPA]
Lapping Schemes Are For Stupid People and Dogs with Access to Lidless Toilets
Any licensed CPA caught perpetrating a lapping scheme should have his or her license revoked immediately and permanently — not for committing an act discreditable to the profession, but for being a giant dumbass. There so many types of fraud that are way easier than lapping. No. Wait. Every type of fraud is way easier […]
Those Walking Workstations Aren’t Collecting Dust at Just Big PwC Offices
Nope! They're good enough for central Pennsylvania, too. The Harrisburg office only has about 60 people, but they are pulling up the stakes at Market Street, and getting brand new 6,300 square-foot home. The office will include media sharing technologies embedded in collaborative areas, as well as an interactive cafe and walk station to encourage […]
PICPA Has Organized “Ask the CPA Experts” Night for Future Pennsylvania CPAs
As much as we'd like to believe we're a great resource for CPA exam candidates, it's easy for candidates to get confused by the wealth of exam information floating around out there on the Internet. While other websites and forums can be helpful for those seeking support from other candidates going through the same misery, […]
A Warning to CPA Exam Candidates Trying to Sit In States Other Than Their Own
This is simply my perception and sadly I don't have actual numbers to back it up so you'll have to forgive me but it seems like in recent years, CPA exam candidates have been having a difficult time transferring scores between states. Back in my CPA review days, I would tell candidates that it's easier […]
Rick Santorum Actually Believes That People Care About His Tax Returns
Ha! President of frozen-over hell, Rick Santorum told everyone that he had to get back to Pennsylvania, apparently, to get his tax returns thrown together. Rick Santorum will follow Mitt Romney’s lead and unveil his tax returns, telling reporters Wednesday that he would head home over the weekend to gather and prepare his tax documents […]
Can Pennsylvania CPA Exam Candidates Take Underwater Basketweaving to Meet the 150 Hour Requirement?
Oh you precocious little CPA exam candidates, I'm so glad to be getting emails from you guys again. I'm serious about that, I was worried for a minute there when y'all got quiet around November that you didn't like me anymore. I'm sensitive, don't let the venom tongue fool you. ANYWAY, today's predicament revolves around […]
Former Bucknell Accounting Student Accused of Serial Flashing Had a MO That Would Make Most Women Suspicious
Jay Patrick Knaub, the former accounting major from Bucknell University accused of flashing four girls between the ages of 12 and 16, was back in court yesterday with his victims present. CBS21 reports that a few of the charges have been dropped and other charges consolidated but the most surprising thing we learned was that Mr. Knaub’s modus operandi was something that would have most women backing away slowly from the car with their hands in the air.
Each time the Middletown resident and former Bucknell University student would reportedly drive up to the girls and ask for directions. At least twice he’s accused of showing them a map, and then moving that map to expose his genitals. [At least twice he’s accused of showing them a map, and then moving that map to expose his genitals.]
Because of the age of these girls, chances are they’ve never been in the presence of a man admitting to being lost and needing directions since that is something simply doesn’t not happen unless A) he’s being forced to do under duress (e.g. future sex is being withheld) or B) he is not from this planet.
Any woman that has ever been lost with a man, knows that stopping and asking anyone for directions is something that men simply do not have the capacity to do. Accordingly, any man waving them down from a car and saying, “I think I’m lost and need directions,” would have send them running, arms flailing and screaming for the nearest police officer.
Unfortunately, these young girls had to learn this life lesson in a very shocking way and not in the normal course of experiencing the stupidity of men.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Invite Citizens to Get on This Fiscal Crisis Thing
Either some Pennsylvania lawmakers are out of ideas for closing the state’s budget gap or they’re sick of the belly aching from the Keystone citizens because they’ve decided to put out there for the ordinary Quakers to give their suggestions for fiscal improvement.
So far there has been approximately 750 suggestions that range from consolidating school districts, “El excess management positions. 15 school districts in one county equals 15 superintendents, health care plans, IT departments, administrative departments, maintenance depts and so on” to downsizing the size of the state legislature, “downsize our legislature, there has been several articles on our size compared to other states whith [sic] smaller legislatures and much larger populations.”
Of course there are less constructive ideas such as the idea of having one huge pee party from “Gary” in Mount Joy (our bolding):
URINALYSIS for everyone who receives their salary from Tax dollars. Every tax dollar that comes out of our pocket pays for every teacher in the state, every state trooper, every state university professor, every congressman. We as taxpayers need to know that our tax dollars are not being used to fund illegal/ illicit drug use. We should have a Urinalysis for Every Teacher, every Congressman, every State worker, Every Professor of the state universities. If that is implemented, you will notice a lot of retirements/resignations. Saving the tax payers loads of money as well as stimulating the workforce because of the jobs that will need to be filled. This Is not an invasion of privacy.
EVERYONE IS ON DOPE!
And then there’s “frank” from York, PA who isn’t buying this pollution nonsense:
get rid of state car inspections & emissions testting [sic] – all the garbage about the air is all made up. And if we are the only country doing so, it proves that the goverment are liars! Yea every knows thats true
“Joe Wehner” from Pittsburgh just feels like hating on the whole process, thankyouverymuch:
Like our government, this site is a joke! They only publish dumb democrat liberal views. GOD Forbid any views that work… They won’t publish views outside of their agenda to ruin America.
But we like we said, there are some decent suggestions.
Pennsylvania website takes taxpayers’ ideas to save money [Philadelphia Inquirer]
URINALYSIS for everyone who receives their salary from Tax dollars. Every tax dollar that comes out of our pocket pays for every teacher in the state, every state trooper, every state university professor, every congressman. We as taxpayers need to know that our tax dollars are not being used to fund illegal/ illicit drug use. We should have a Urinalysis for Every Teacher, every Congressman, every State worker, Every Professor of the state universities. If that is implemented, you will notice a lot of retirements/resignations. Saving the tax payers loads of money as well as stimulating the workforce because of the jobs that will need to be filled. This Is not an invasion of privacy.
EVERYONE IS ON DOPE!
And then there’s “frank” from York, PA who isn’t buying this pollution nonsense:
get rid of state car inspections & emissions testting [sic] – all the garbage about the air is all made up. And if we are the only country doing so, it proves that the goverment are liars! Yea every knows thats true
“Joe Wehner” from Pittsburgh just feels like hating on the whole process, thankyouverymuch:
Like our government, this site is a joke! They only publish dumb democrat liberal views. GOD Forbid any views that work… They won’t publish views outside of their agenda to ruin America.
But we like we said, there are some decent suggestions.
Pennsylvania website takes taxpayers’ ideas to save money [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Promotion Watch ’10: Latest Details on KPMG’s New Managers
From a Klynveld Quaker:
In recent meetings with PA Business Unit leadership with all audit staff (i.e. A and SA’s), we were told that of the 32 inidivudals up for promotion to Manager in the combined three offices (Philly, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh), that 22 were officially promoted. Of the 10 that weren’t, at least 1 just came back from international rotation, and either 2 or 3 (can’t remember which) hadn’t passed the CPA exam and therefore couldn’t be considered for promotions. All raise and bonus theories were squashed (as to hard percentages), though we were told to expect some form of raise as well as variable comp at FYE.
So just a shade better than two-thirds of the Keystone KPMGers eligible for manager will be in the new manager class. As you may remember, this is pretty close to the breakdown for one office in the Rockies but a little less than an office in the northwest.
Since the firm has four months to go in its fiscal year, the fact that the local leadership wouldn’t even give a hint comes as no surprise. That said, it hasn’t stopped people from speculating about what they think the increases will be. We encourage you to share what you know, what you’ve heard, or your own wild-ass guess. And keep us updated with the latest in your office.
Pennsylvania’s Tax Amnesty Ad Will Work on the Most Paranoid of Citizens
Pennsylvania’s tax amnesty program started on April 26th and to help taxpayers get off their non-complying asses, this ad has been introduced to motivate Keystone Staters that owe back taxes.
If this doesn’t get Quaker stoners into compliance, nothing will:
Personally, we would liked to have seen the PA Dept of Rev go the route of PICPA and incorporate Snuggies or breathlessly judgmental friends. Although we understand that scare tactics may be effective, a state must be pretty desperate to run this to get taxpayers motivated.
Btw, Philadelphia’s tax amnesty program started today and, so far, is considerably less Orwellian.
Earlier:
Tax Amnesty Programs: A Gold Mine for States or Bad Policy?
Tax Amnesty Programs: A Gold Mine for States or Bad Policy?
More news out of the land of Quakers, as Pennsylvania has announced a tax amnesty program for delinquent taxpayers. The program allows tax deadbeats to pay their back taxes but all the penalties and half of the interest will be waived. Pennsylvania’s will begin on April 26th and be open for 54 days.
The AP reports that the state could generate an additional $190 million in revenues for the state which, like pretty every state, is in a dire need of revenues.
For those that participate in the amnesty program, they’ll have to be on good behavior going forward, “participants who fall into delinquency again within two years may be required to pay the full penalties and interest that had been waived. Also, once the amnesty period ends, a special, ‘nonparticipation penalty’ of 5 percent will be levied against delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest not paid in full.”
Participants will also not be eligible for future amnesty programs. Sounds like a novel idea right?
Well, maybe not.
Our resident tax guru, Joe Kristan, is not a fan of tax amnesty programs saying, “they become an expectation and they make chumps of compliant taxpayers.”
Joe’s home state of Iowa passed a tax amnesty program back in 2007 and his sentiments haven’t changed since then, “[Iowa is] adding more loopholes targeted tax incentives to its tax law while doing nothing to lower rates or broaden the tax base.”
But Joe, being the silver lining-type, also notes, “those of us who charge for tax work by the hour, it truly helps our economic development during an otherwise slow time of year.” So tax pros will take those new clients despite the bad policy that encouraged them.
Regardless of the bump in off-season revenues, the Tax Policy Blog (who Joe cites) noted that these programs are of little value if reform doesn’t accompany it, “if lawmakers decide to implement tax amnesty programs, they should be accompanied by fundamental tax reform that makes the tax code simpler and easier to comply with.”
So it appears that tax amnesty is nothing more than a duct tape solution from a policy stand point but it certainly makes good pandering fodder in an election year.
Pa. will offer tax amnesty [AP via Philadelphia Inquirer]