While I am glad, as a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals (you do not need to be a member to submit a tax question, nonmembers just pay more - $49.50 instead of $21.50 per answer), to have access to their Research Department to get answers to more detailed tax questions that arise in my practice, the cost of such answers has more than doubled in the past 5 or so years.
There are several message boards out there on the web that a tax preparer can use to pose a tax question to his/her “peers” without any charge. Here are some of them:
QUICKFINDER HANDBOOK / THE TAX BOOK – The websites for these tax research handbooks each have message boards.
ACCOUNTANTS WORLD - The various “discussion forums” are broken down into categories, and some categories are further broken down into “sub-categories”. For example, the TAXATION topic contains such separate forums as Business Taxation, Estates and Trusts, Exempt Organizations, General, Individual, International, Sales and Use, and State and Local Taxation, Payroll Taxes, Pension and Employee Benefits, etc.
ACCOUNTING WEB - Registered members may add their questions to the Questions and Advice area for other members to view and respond to. Registration is free.
TAX ALMANAC - This also has several categories, including Tax Questions, Accounting Questions and Tax Tips.
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF TAX PROFESSIONALS - The website of the NSTP has a “Web Board” in the Members Only section with a “Tax Room” category for tax questions.
The responses one will get from a message board are the individual opinions of other tax preparers on the topic and not necessarily definitive answers. Often the responses will provide tax code of other references to support their opinion. If you are considering a position that is open to interpretation it can be helpful to learn if other professionals share your opinion or have had experience in dealing with the IRS on the same or a similar situation.
One of the problems I have found in dealing with the NATP Tax Research Department is that, while they will provide well-documented information on the strict interpretation of tax topics, their answers are a bit “rigid” (if that is the right word) and do not take a stand or provide opinions on items open to interpretation. If I ask, “Do you think I can deduct this” they answer, “the Tax Code says this”. Responses on message boards, while not as authoritative or well-documented, are often more appropriate to the specific question – and respondents are not timid when it comes to expressing opinions.
In the past I have used the NSTP and Tax Almanac message boards once for the same tax question. I obviously got more responses from the Tax Almanac forum because the NSTP has 122 registered users. To be honest, the responses were only marginally helpful.
FYI, the National Society of Accounts also has a similar tax research department - NSA Tax Help Desk. However the NSA Tax Help Desk is a benefit available only to Active and Associate members. NSA Members get five (5) tax questions answered free, while NATP members get only one (1)!
I welcome your additions to the list of Message Boards, and would like to hear about your opinions of and experiences with the above or other Message Boards. You can submit a comment to this posting below, or you can email me at rdftaxpro@mail.com.
TAFN
There are several message boards out there on the web that a tax preparer can use to pose a tax question to his/her “peers” without any charge. Here are some of them:
QUICKFINDER HANDBOOK / THE TAX BOOK – The websites for these tax research handbooks each have message boards.
ACCOUNTANTS WORLD - The various “discussion forums” are broken down into categories, and some categories are further broken down into “sub-categories”. For example, the TAXATION topic contains such separate forums as Business Taxation, Estates and Trusts, Exempt Organizations, General, Individual, International, Sales and Use, and State and Local Taxation, Payroll Taxes, Pension and Employee Benefits, etc.
ACCOUNTING WEB - Registered members may add their questions to the Questions and Advice area for other members to view and respond to. Registration is free.
TAX ALMANAC - This also has several categories, including Tax Questions, Accounting Questions and Tax Tips.
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF TAX PROFESSIONALS - The website of the NSTP has a “Web Board” in the Members Only section with a “Tax Room” category for tax questions.
The responses one will get from a message board are the individual opinions of other tax preparers on the topic and not necessarily definitive answers. Often the responses will provide tax code of other references to support their opinion. If you are considering a position that is open to interpretation it can be helpful to learn if other professionals share your opinion or have had experience in dealing with the IRS on the same or a similar situation.
One of the problems I have found in dealing with the NATP Tax Research Department is that, while they will provide well-documented information on the strict interpretation of tax topics, their answers are a bit “rigid” (if that is the right word) and do not take a stand or provide opinions on items open to interpretation. If I ask, “Do you think I can deduct this” they answer, “the Tax Code says this”. Responses on message boards, while not as authoritative or well-documented, are often more appropriate to the specific question – and respondents are not timid when it comes to expressing opinions.
In the past I have used the NSTP and Tax Almanac message boards once for the same tax question. I obviously got more responses from the Tax Almanac forum because the NSTP has 122 registered users. To be honest, the responses were only marginally helpful.
FYI, the National Society of Accounts also has a similar tax research department - NSA Tax Help Desk. However the NSA Tax Help Desk is a benefit available only to Active and Associate members. NSA Members get five (5) tax questions answered free, while NATP members get only one (1)!
I welcome your additions to the list of Message Boards, and would like to hear about your opinions of and experiences with the above or other Message Boards. You can submit a comment to this posting below, or you can email me at rdftaxpro@mail.com.
TAFN
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