New York Times business writer, David Cay Johnston, has won the Pulitzer Prize award in journalism for his distinguished beat reporting.Mr. Johnston covers taxes and the IRS, and won the prize for, "penetrating and enterprising reporting that exposed loopholes and inequities in the U.S. tax code, which was instrumental in bringing about reforms." In the past year, Mr. Johnston has shown how, in 1999, the poor were for the first time more likely to have their tax returns audited than wealthy taxpayers.

With the tax filing deadline close at hand, the Internal Revenue Service offered some tips for those still working on their tax forms:Put your social security number on the return - it's not on the label. Double-check your figures. Sign your form.Attach all required schedules.Send your return or request a filing extension by April 16 -- April 17 for those in New England and New York State north of Westchester and Rockland counties.

For six years, Californians have been the most favored recipients of IRS audits, according to IRS statistics. Although audit rates have dropped nationwide over the last few years, California residents have not experienced the slow down.

Centerprise Advisors, Inc., the nation's 16th largest professional services firm, has added Michael Berent to its senior management team as the firm's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Professional Services.As COO, Mr. Berent will be responsible for leading and managing the strategic development, integration and operating performance of Centerprise. Centerprise offers accounting, litigation support and business planning services to middle market companies.

It's not too late! If you haven't filed your tax return yet, perhaps you can cash in on these most-frequently-overlooked deductions.

Are you one of the more than 90 million taxpayers who will receive a refund this year? Requesting direct deposit, and filing your tax return electronically with e-file will put that money in your pocket faster and easier, according to the IRS.Every year more taxpayers are finding out how safe and easy it is to have their tax refund direct deposited into their checking or savings account. This option is available for both e-filers and paper return filers.With e-file your refund will be issued in half the time it would take if you filed a paper return.

The California Society of Certified Public Accountants has published a list detailing the pros and cons of the tax return e-filing process versus paper filing.Here, in a nutshell, are their findings:Pros of e-filing:Speedier processing timeNearly all forms available online, so most taxpayers can use the serviceAutomatic extensions of time, including the second extension, may be filed on-lineIRS quickly detect

A small number (approximately 150,000) of taxpayers are affected by a security glitch in the TurboTax software, according to reports from Intuit.The problem, which has been corrected, occurred when users took advantage of a new TurboTax feature to automatically download investment data into their tax return preparation forms.

Crete, Illinois Republican, Emma Schweer, has once again been elected to the post of Tax Collector for Crete Township. The 104-year-old Mrs. Schweer ran unopposed for the seat she has held since 1965.Mrs. Schweer's late husband held the seat from 1933 to his death in 1965, at which time Mrs. Schweer was appointed as his replacement.