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Dear Hannah:

I had an opportunity yesterday to attend the DOR Advisory Council meeting. I’m really happy that new Commissioner Mark Nunnelly is continuing this important forum started by the previous Commissioner – me. We discussed a variety of initiatives, developments and ongoing projects, including:

• MassTaxConnect – The Department will be accelerating the rollout of the new system for individual income tax, in part due to the program's very advanced fraud prevention capabilities.  
• Amnesty - The period will be from April 1, 2016 to May 31, 2016. This will be quite different from the last several amnesties as it is targeted specifically to non-registrants, non-filers and under-reporters. There will be a waiver of penalties including the 35A underpayment penalty and a limited three-year lookback. 
  
• Regulation Review – Thanks to feedback from you and your clients, the Department plans to address some concerns regarding apportionment, market-based sourcing, NOLs Trusts and Corporate Nexus. 
  
• Internal Processes and Outreach - I recommended that they have stakeholders involved early and often, ensuring the Department receives feedback upfront. They agreed (in principle). 
  
• Voluntary Disclosure Pilot – In what I think is an extremely positive development, they announced a draft administrative procedure (AP) for a pilot voluntary disclosure program for the settlement of uncertain tax issues. They are accepting comments through the end of the month so please submit comments individually or through us – email Zach Donah with your thoughts.
  

You can hear more about the DOR from Commissioner Nunnelly and his senior staff at our Annual State Tax conference on Tuesday. View the full agenda and register here.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Amy A. Pitter
President & CEO

Day in the Life: Three Secrets to Balancing Children and Career

Check out this SumNews feature highlighting a “Day in the Life” of Sissi Fitzgerald, CPA, assistant vice president, BJ’s Wholesale. 

South Shore Breakfast Forum (1/28)

Jason Goloboy from Kevin P. Martin & Associates, P.C. will lead a discussion on the annual state tax updates.

FEI Boston Executive Event (2/10)

All MSCPA members are invited to FEI Boston’s February Executive Event at the Newton Marriott Hotel. FEI is offering a $60 discounted rate for MSCPA members. 

Help Develop the Next Generation of CPAs

The MSCPA is developing a directory of firms that are willing to share their resources. These resources are extremely helpful to college educators as they prepare their students for the workforce. If your firm would like to be included, please complete this two-question survey.

CPA Exam Tutor Opportunity

An MSCPA member is looking for a personal tutor for the CPA Exam. Please contact Chris O’Day if interested.

Hire an Intern

Help yourself, and at the same time, provide a valuable work experience that will allow a student to develop skills and abilities that are difficult to learn in a classroom setting. Make significant cuts in weekend or evening hours for your staff during busy season—hire an intern!

5 Tips for Flextime in CPA Firms

How to Stay Fit - and Sane - through Busy Season

Annual State Tax Conference (1/26)
Last chance! This conference is on Tuesday, January 26. Join us for an enlightening conference that will help you stay informed on all of the tax issues Massachusetts CPAs face today. 

MSCPA On-Site Training
Quality education delivered to your door! Does a group of your staff need to take a course? We’ll bring it to your office, and customize the content to meet your needs. You provide the space. We’ll take care of everything else. Please contact Julia Ekelund for more information.

Upcoming Webinars
Need a CPE quick fix? Look no further. We offer hundreds of webinars that you can take right from the comfort of your own home—or office. Check out these webinars coming up this week:

     How to Be Productive with Windows 8 (1/26) 

     Cloud Accounting Review Series - Systems Overview (1/27) 

IRS Update: Tax Season Resources
With tax season underway, the IRS is urging practitioners to utilize the agency’s online resources to answer questions or get more information.

DOR Update: Working Draft AP XXXX: Voluntary Disclosure Program for the Settlement of Uncertain Tax Issues
The DOR is looking for feedback on a new voluntary disclosure pilot program. If you have a few minutes to review it, please send your feedback to Zach Donah.

Advocacy Update: MSCPA Presses for Tweaks to New E-Licensing System
The MSCPA is working with Baker administration officials to address oversights in the implementation of the Board of Public Accountancy’s new e-licensing system. The focus of the work revolves around the inability for practitioners and firms to electronically convert their CPE records to the new system through their current provider. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback, please contact Zach Donah.

Gov. Baker Delivers First State of the Commonwealth Address
In his first State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Baker proposed additional investments in vocational school and workforce training, reforms to the Commonwealth operating processes and “small adjustments” to the film tax credit, which he tried to eliminate in his first budget last year.  

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