With joint press conferences held in Woodbury and White Plains in early April, Representatives Steve Israel ( Long Island, NY) and Nita Lowey ( Westchester, NY) called on two former NCCPAP presidents, Herb Schoenfeld, CPA and Alan D. Feldstein, CPA, to help them launch legislation regarding the growing problem posed to American taxpayers by the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Schoenfeld and Feldstein worked with Israel and Lowey and their AMT committees, which included other prominent individuals in the accounting and business fields. NCCPAP was the only organization that was able to provide the representatives with taxpayers who had been grievously burdened by the AMT, and who were ready, willing and able to go public with their AMT experiences.

We also announced a dual membership program with the Texas Association of CPAs (TACPA) that will give TACPA members representation on a national level, access to NCCPAP’s approved Peer Review program and the resources and support of a larger national organization . TACPA members now have access to our comprehensive voluntary quality review program, including consultation and practice monitoring conducted by fellow practitioners, accredited Continuing Professional Education Seminars on local and national levels, a national newsletter, a cooperative buying program with discounts on products and services used by CPA firms, and a national membership guide and referral directory, providing access to a network of practitioners.

Other benefits available to TACPA members through NCCPAP include a “board of professional advisors” available for assistance, a series of MAP surveys that enhance members understanding of how other CPA firms manage their practices, and email briefs regarding significant issues that might affect members and their clients that are typically sent out within hours of their release by the IRS.

NCCPAP is a great resource for professional development, and we urge all members to take advantage of these valuable member benefits.

 We also announced that Neil H. Fishman, CPA, CFE, of Fishman Associates, an active member of several national committees of NCCPAP and Vice-chair of the Nassau/Suffolk Chapter Education Committee, was a panel member on the IRS’s upcoming Tax Talk Today TV webcast. The program, How the Bank Secrecy Act Impacts You and Your Clients, was seen on March 8.

Last, but certainly not least, was an announcement to regional media that our own president Carol C. Markman, CPA, and a partner with Feldman, Meinberg & Co., LLP was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Practitioners for 2005 by CPA Magazine. She was recognized for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the profession. Congratulations Carol!