November 26, 2013 Affiliate Conference Call:
1-888-537-7715 Participant 97556506.
To listen to the replay, 1-877-919-4059, & enter replay code 97556506.
Conference Call Functions
Participants will call in, announce their name, and automatically be placed on Mute.
To unmute, * 6 To return to mute, * 6
Intro of Affiliate Council Members – Linda Ward, EA
· Linda Ward, EA (Chair)
· Mel Brodie, EA
· Lee Byrd, EA
· Melissa Longmuir, EA
· Bill Nemeth, EA
· Samantha Stewart, EA
The Affiliate Council is responsible for developing membership initiatives between NAEA and its affiliates. The Council is tasked with coordinating efforts to build a strong affiliate network, and help plan the semi-annual Affiliate Presidents Exchange (APEX) meetings.
List of states that each affiliate council member is responsible for coordinating and developing state affiliate initiatives:
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· Mel Brodie, EA -- AZ, AR, NJ, NM, OH, WA
· Lee Byrd, EA -- IL, IN, KY, MN, TN, TX, WI
· Melissa Longmuir, EA -- CA, HI, NV, NY, OR
· Bill Nemeth, EA -- AL, GA, MS, NC, NNE, SC, UT
· Samantha Stewart, EA -- CT, MD/DC, MA, PA, RI, VA
· Linda Ward, EA -- CO, FL, IA, LA, MI, MO, OK
The purpose of these calls is to share information about NAEA’s programs and initiatives with state affiliate leaders, so we can use this information to run our affiliates more effectively and show our members value in our dual membership.
On today’s call, we’ll touch on the following topics:
-APEX
-Affiliate Challenge and NAEA Elections
-Government Relations Update
-PR Conference
-Administrative Issues
-Affiliate Support
-Membership
Introduce Connie Paradise - Mike Nelson
November 22 E@lert announced that Connie Paradise, CAE, has joined NAEA on November 18th as the Membership Director. She replaces Sam Matlick who is no longer with NAEA; we certainly appreciate Sam's contributions. Our organization is at a pivotal point in our development as an organization. We felt we needed different leadership with a different skill set to grow the organization. Connie is an association expert with a background that includes the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Professional Insurance Agents Associations and the National Association of Home Builders. She brings to NAEA a wealth of experience on increasing membership, growing non-dues revenue and guiding state and local chapters. During the next several weeks, Connie will be scheduling phone calls with the affiliates to introduce herself and get to know the affiliate leaders. Welcome aboard, Connie ! !
Government Relations - Bob Kerr
Bob talked about the following 5 items:
1. Last Week Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) unveiled three tax reform discussion drafts; copied and pasted from the Nov 22 E@lert, they are:
· International: While not of great interest to most enrolled agents, who typically are not focused on international corporate taxation, the proposal is interesting because Baucus demonstrates his willingness to make proposals that will create clear winners and losers. The international reform document actually includes two proposals (Option Y and Option Z, oddly nefarious-sounding monikers), which share a number of common provisions, including a one-time 20 percent tax on all existing profits a company currently has parked offshore. Further, Baucus indicates that his goal is to move the corporate rate below 30 percent (from the current 35 percent).
· Tax Administration: The discussion draft released on Wednesday proposes a package of reforms to modernize tax administration, minimize compliance burdens, reduce tax-related identity theft and shrink the tax gap.
o More specifically, the draft proposes accelerated deadlines for filing information returns (e.g., Forms W-2 and 1099) with the government, changes to partnership return filing dates, repealing 100+ deadwood (obsolete) code provisions, providing only truncated SSNs on Forms W-2, and authorization for the State Department to revoke the passports of individuals with tax debts in excess of $50k.
o Oh, the discussion paper also addressesLoving v. IRS and authorizes IRS' return preparer oversight program.
· Cost Recovery: The third discussion draft, released on Thursday, proposes a modern, simpler, and fairer cost recovery and tax accounting system that promotes tax neutrality when it comes to business decisions. More specifically, it drives a stake through the heart of LIFO (a proposal that is not new and has been included in a number of administration budget wish lists); sets the annual § 179 expense limit at $1 million; and, creates a new depreciation system for tangible personal property (other than personal use automobiles) comprised of four pools, three designed for short to mid-term property and one designated for mixed-use structures.
2. EA and PTIN Renewal - Everyone must renew their PTIN each year. AllEAs with SSNs terminating in 4, 5, or 6 must renew between now andJanuary 31, 2014.
IF you are a new EA, pull out your EA Card and verify its expiration date. While EAs renew every three years, a new EA's first renewal cycle generally will be MUCH shorter than three years.
If you indicated you are an EA when you renewed your PTIN, you may be getting an e-Mail from the IRS reminding you to renew your EA License if your SSN terminates in 4, 5 or 6. Don't be alarmed if you have renewed and get this e-Mail. The IRS databases are NOT linked.
3. EA Credential Protection Act - Jeff Trinka and Bob Kerr continue to push this Act with congressional tax writers. They are trying to line up a senate democrat to support the bill in addition to lead Republican Senator Rob Portman.
4. Congress - Congress is mostly out of session until Jan 13, 2014. The Continuing Resolution expires Jan 15 but no one is expecting another government shutdown. The net is that the IRS will continue to operate.
5. Comments on the upcoming Filing Season - IRS will issue a announcement in mid-December when the filing season officially opens. Speculation is that the tax filing season will start one week late rather than the previously announced 2 week delay.
IRS 1099-K Matching Program (credit card sales) - A new set of threatening letters will be sent out stating that in the taxpayer's industry segment, it appears that all the cash sales are not being reported. Via E@lert, Bob will be requesting feedback from our members as they encounter these warning letters from their clients.
Leadership Academy Update - Mike Nelson
· Orlando Leadership Academy Nov 10-12.
Exceptionally strong class - 25 attendees from 17 different states participated in the Leadership Academy. Over half the class had been NAEA members for less than 5 years which reflects that our newer members are getting involved earlier.
· Next Leadership Academy is scheduled for Baltimore June 7-9, 2014; info will be posted on the web site. We already have enrolled 5 folks which are overflow from the Orlando LA.
· Joyce Mohr, EA (graduate of the recent Orlando LA) appeared on TaxTalkToday and was observed to be proudly wearing her Leadership Academy Pin.
Nov APEX Meeting Update - Lee Byrd, EA & Mel Brodie, EA
· The November APEX meeting was very positive with a great exchange among attendees. General feeling was that this was the best APEX gathering yet. There was a Friday morning Breakfast with the Board of Directors and the APEX attendees which was very well received. Lee Byrd asked Michelle McBride, WI, to share her first APEX meeting experience: Michelle related that it was an invaluable experience for affiliate leaders to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and work together. It was great to be able to put a face with a name. The samples of certificates, welcome letters, recruitment & retention information are all great and will be put to use. She has already had follow-up phone conferences with Gleim and GetNetSet to discuss some of the offerings that they brought to the conference. It was a really great networking opportunity - she encourages all who have not attended an APEX meeting to make it a priority in the future.
Mel Brodie echoed Michelle's comments - Really great to see each other face to face. Mel has been to APEX meetings for over 5 years and he felt that this was his best APEX meeting to date.
Mel asked Pat Jenkins of NM to share her APEX Experience. Pat has been around since 1991 and thought this was one of the best APEX meetings she ever attended. Regarding the Bring & Brag, there were so many good ideas that could be brought back to the affiliates. She really enjoyed being able to sit with the Board and network during the Friday breakfast. She returned from the meeting all full of enthusiasm - she urges folks who have never attended an APEX meeting to make plans to attend one.
· GetNetSet – Lee Byrd, EA
Connie, Jackie Gellner and I talked with Chris Davis of GetNetSet to gain a better understanding of the agreement with NAEA.
o Affiliates are entitled to a free website selected from pre-determined templates with some limited tailoring to suit the affiliate, i.e., logos, colors
o Initial setup done by GetNetSet
o Administrative maintenance to be done by affiliate (i.e., event, meeting, leadership roster changes) - Affiliate still requires a web master for these administrative maintenance activities.
o GetNetSet logo posted on the affiliate website
Membership Update - Bill Nemeth, EA
Membership numbers as of 10/31/2013
Total membership: 11,350 (down slightly from 11,521 last month)
New Members – 533
Terminated – 1,517
Connie is working on a new spreadsheet that will provide more current and historical information to help you with recruiting and retention.
Affiliate Council Updates - Melissa Longmuir, EA
· The deadline for Affiliate Challenge submissions is January 31st. Please take the time to submit an entry. Not only are there are plenty of opportunities to win cash prizes, but also, recognition for your affiliate, and most important, an opportunity to share your successes with others.
The Affiliate Council is available to help you determine appropriate projects for submission, and guide you to helpful resources. The NAEA website contains ideas that have been used successfully by other affiliates, and may be used to develop, implement or review programs for your affiliate.
The topics are:
o Public Awareness
o Advocacy
o Education
o Members
o Governance
· Change in leadership form – Reminder to send them in any time there is a change in the affiliate leadership. Download these forms from the NAEA Affiliate website in the State Affiliate section.
· Reminder - PTIN renewal is due before December 31, 2013
· Reminder - EA for 4, 5, 6 renewal is due before January 31, 2014.
· Suggestion - as our members renew their PTINs, they should check on the CE recorded under their PTIN while they are logged into their PTIN account. Any discrepancies should be taken up with the CE provider.
NAEA Election Update - Samantha Steward, EA
· NAEA Elections will be held December 1-16. Historically, 18-20% of the members participate. NAEA would like to increase voter participation and encourage you to make your members aware of this opportunity. Members have received a reminder e-Mail last week with details.
o Biographies are in the current EA Journal
o 16% participation –looking to increase participation
o On-line voting is open December 1-16
o Members whose e-Mail bounced will be sent a note with instructions to vote online.
Affiliate Council Election - Mel Brodie, EA
· It’s time to start thinking about Affiliate Council elections. We’ve compiled a profile of the experience, characteristics and skills that a successful elected volunteer would need and to help you identify the best candidate. It’s not necessary to have all these qualifications; it’s only a method to help you understand the duties and expectations required.
We’ll be sending this profile to you in the next week or so. Please don’t hesitate to contact anyone on the Council for clarification and questions. There are 6 elected members on the Affiliate Council with each member serving a 2-year staggered term.
NAEA will issue a call for nominations December 1. Please fill out the online questionnaire. Nominees will be asked about their ability to commit, thoughts and ideas regarding the Council’s duties and why they want to serve on the Affiliate Council. Nominations and survey instructions will be shared on the State Forum, with the actual election taking place in January. The state affiliate presidents vote in this election of the Affiliate Council.
NAEA President Betsey Buckingham, EA and President-Elect Lonnie Gary, EA, Comments on APEX
o Betsey Buckingham, NAEA President, was overjoyed with the number of people on this affiliate call. She was especially pleased with the response in Orlando to having the Board have breakfast with the Affiliate Attendees.
o Lonnie Gary, President-Elect, echoed Betsey's comments and extended a warm welcome to Connie Paradise.
Public Awareness Committee - Linda Ward, EA
The Public Awareness Committee will hold a conference call for everyone interested public awareness on December 5 at 2 pm Eastern. The call will outline resources NAEA has created to help public awareness efforts, and give participants an opportunity to share their resources and successes as well. To access the call, dial 1-800-599-5393 and enter the participant code 596950.
Wrap-Up - Linda Ward, EA
· Stipend deadline for the November APEX meeting – Reminder that you have until December 24th to submit your proof of communication with your state members about your APEX experience. Submit this information to Connie Paradise.
· Affiliate support (affiliate forums – will be doing more training, continue sessions with NAEA Board)
· Next call is Tuesday January 28, 2014
Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy this time with your family and friends!