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 Record-Setting Audience Greets Governor At Spring Members Advisory Symposium Nearly 400 MACPA members warmly welcomed Governor and fellow CPA Rick Snyder at the Spring Members Advisory Symposium on May 12, 2011 in Lansing. The Governor drew cheers during his keynote speech when he announced the Senate was preparing to vote that afternoon on eliminating the Michigan Business Tax. He predicted, “The Michigan Business Tax is dead.” His forecast came true before dinnertime.  Gov. Snyder talked about the positive impact upon businesses and jobs when a state offers a stable and predictable tax environment. He also commented on the remarkable talent available in Michigan, but we have not done a good job of analyzing and predicting supply and demand in our job market. The Governor also expressed his personal appreciation for the support of the MACPA in the development of a citizen-friendly Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (see the Citizen’s Guide to Michigan’s Financial Health on the state’s website). Before his presentation, MACPA Chair of the Board Greg Nowak and President and CEO Peggy Dzierzawski presented the Governor with the MACPA’s 2011 Outstanding Visionary Award. Another highlight of the day was a presentation by AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon. He provided an overview of numerous regulatory issues affecting the profession including the massive and complicated Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which Melancon said will take years to sort out and “clean up.” The enormity of Dodd-Frank is overwhelming, said Melancon. He explained that Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was 66 pages of legislation; the Dodd-Frank Act is 2,307 pages with 355 rulemakings and 68 studies. Melancon also discussed the AICPA’s partnership with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants to develop a global designation for CPAs in business and industry. See related story here. Tax preparer registration and cloud computing are other topics to keep on the radar, said Melancon. Additionally, he invited MACPA members to participate in a vision project for the profession through an online interactive survey and in virtual discussion forums. Visit at cpahorizons2025.org. Other speakers at the Spring Members Advisory Symposium included the following: Leslie Murphy – explained that the Commission on Accounting Higher Education: Pathways to a Profession seeks to define how to best prepare accounting students to meet the challenges of the future. Murphy, a past MACPA board member and former AICPA chair of the board, is one of six serving on the Commission. She urged MACPA members to learn more about the project and provide input at http://pathwayscommission.org. Peggy Dzierzawski – president and CEO of MACPA, presented an overview of Michigan issues and programs involving MACPA and its members including the MACPA Involvement in Michigan’s Turnaround Task Force, which drew praise from Governor Snyder. This task force is currently working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on business development strategies, and working with the Michigan Department of Treasury to develop tools for financial transparency. Dzierzawski also called attention to a new long-term care insurance program, and the CPE Tracker, an online resource for members to check their status against the required number of CPE hours. Carol Moultine – licensing manager, State of Michigan, identified new key personnel involved in the CPA licensing and regulatory department. Read more about Moultine’s presentation in this article. Bill Wortz – Public Affairs Associates, MAPCA’s independent lobbying firm, talked about the momentum Governor Rick Snyder has brought to Lansing. The day-long event closed with a 50/50 raffle, which raised $1,200 for the Michigan Accountancy Foundation Fifth/Graduate Year Scholarship program. |
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| PO Box 5068 Troy, MI 48007-5068 Phone: 248.267.3700 Fax: 248.267.3737 E-mail: ;macpa@michcpa.org | |
