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MACPA Offers New Courses on
Michigan Business Tax
Signed into law on July 12, the Michigan
Business Tax will replace the Single Business Tax. In the coming weeks, the MACPA will provide
numerous
continuing education programs to help inform members on the new law.
MBT educational sessions will be offered in a variety of formats
including workshops, conferences, seminars and webinars throughout the state
beginning August 2nd. Members can register for these courses online or by
calling 248.267.3700. Also, the MACPA’s Government Relations department
created an online
MBT Questions & Answers Forum to help members adjust
to the new tax law. Members may submit questions about the MBT. Volunteer
members of the MACPA State and Local Task Force, well-versed in the details
of the MBT, will answer questions using any information available. All
questions and answers submitted will be posted on the MBT Questions &
Answers Forum web page.
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New Electronic PIN
Signature Requirement Begins in 2008
Last week, the IRS announced it will eliminate
the need for a
paper signature document supporting electronically filed tax returns.
Beginning with the 2008 filing season, tax practitioners can e-file
individual income tax returns only if the returns are signed electronically
using one of two methods: either a Self-Select Personal Identification
Number (PIN) or a Practitioner PIN. A Self-Select PIN allows taxpayers to
electronically sign their e-filed return by selecting a five-digit PIN. A
Practitioner PIN is used when a taxpayer authorizes an Electronic Return
Originator (ERO) to input an electronic signature on behalf of the taxpayer.
Practitioner PINs require the use of Form 8879, IRS e-file Signature
Authorization, which is retained by the ERO.
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IRS Releases Interim
Report on Tax-Exempt Hospitals and Community Benefit Project
A preliminary report from the IRS provides
insight on how 500
tax-exempt hospitals provide and report benefits to the community.
Providing community benefit is required for hospitals seeking and retaining
tax-exempt status as charities. According to the report, nearly all
hospitals provided various types of community benefit that were the subject
of the questionnaire. Although 97 percent of responding hospitals said they
have a written uncompensated care policy, no uniform definition of what
constitutes “uncompensated care” emerged from the responses. Further, there
appear to be significant differences in the way other components of
community benefit are reported. While the interim report summarizes but does
not analyze the information reported by the hospitals, the IRS’s hospital
project team did recommend developing a separate Form 990 schedule for
hospitals, as a way to address the lack of uniformity in definitions and
reporting. A new
Schedule H, Hospitals, is part of the recently released discussion draft
of that form.
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Taxpayer Advocate
Identifies Priorities for Upcoming Year
National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson
identified
priority issues the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate will address in the
coming fiscal year. Among the key areas of focus will be improving taxpayer
services, ensuring that taxpayer rights are protected in the IRS’s private
debt collection initiative, and making the IRS’s offer-in-compromise program
more accessible for taxpayers who are unable to pay their tax debts in full.
The report also addresses the challenges the IRS is facing because of
pressure to close the tax gap quickly.
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Michigan's Jobless
Rate Increases in June
Michigan's seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate in June increased by three-tenths of a percentage
point to 7.2 percent from May's 6.9 percent, according to data released last
week by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG). Total
employment fell by 23,000 and unemployment rose by 15,000. The net impact
over the month was a reduction of the state's labor force by 8,000.
Michigan's June 2007 jobless rate increased by half of a percentage point
from the state's June 2006 rate of 6.7 percent. Continued job cuts in
manufacturing are a major factor in pushing the jobless rate upward in this
period.
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Google-State of
Michigan Partnership Enhances Internet Search Capabilities
The state of Michigan is partnering with
Google to make it easier for citizens using search engines to find
government programs and services. The new technology, a tool known as the
Sitemap protocol, enables search engines like Google to access and index
the records in online databases, making them accessible in search results.
For example, Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test scores for
hundreds of schools spanning multiple years currently reside in over 25,000
documents. Sitemaps allow a user to find the results for the school name and
test year, eliminating multiple clicks and search requests. Michigan is the
fifth state to collaborate with Google in providing the state with the
information they need to enhance the search results for state government.
California, Utah, Virginia, and Arizona are taking similar steps in ensuring
easy access to government information.
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Six (Mostly) Free Online Contact Apps to Consider
Contact management software has not been given
a lot of attention by online application developers simply because of the
privacy and security issues associated with storing personal information on
the Web, but there are several programs available for those interested in
doing so. Big Contacts uses an Ajax interface to facilitate the addition and
editing of contact information, which can be imported from such email
applications as Outlook or Gmail.
To read this article in
its entirety and much more about developments in technology, access
Technology and
Productivity Weekly, the MACPA's electronic technology newsletter for
industry professionals, sponsored by Information, Inc.
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