Update On The New Tax Preparer Regulations Posted By : Sawyer Adams
Why have only a select few tax professionals chosen to earn the EA credential? After all, most have no credentials at all and there are almost ten times as many Certified Public Accountants (CPA) as there are enrolled agents. Perhaps it is because enrolled agents were the only tax professionals required by the US government to demonstrate their tax expertise by passing a difficult qualification exam. Most tax preparers, both experienced and inexperienced, have elected not to take the EA exam because they simply were not required to do so. While I am certainly not attempting to diminish the qualifications, neither attorneys nor CPA’s are required to demonstrate competence in tax preparation or representation matters before they may stand for taxpayers before the IRS. Perhaps that is because the prerequisite education and bar exams and are viewed as difficult enough to justify admittance.