Should accounting firms be concerned about performing consulting services for their audit clients? After all, auditors are in a natural position to spot inefficiencies that can wreak havoc on the bottom line. They can help a company cut the waste and grow. But should they? Does it put an accounting firm’s unbiased audit approach at risk?Most accounting firms say that it does not compromise their audit approach. There also are already safe guards in place for publicly traded companies.

President Clinton is about to sign a tax bill that would, in effect, eliminate a provision used by sellers of small busineses to defer capital gains for tax purposes until the seller receives the money.Seller financing is a traditional method to buy businesses and real estate.

Okay, you’ve known for quite some time that ergonomic issues were abound, but maybe you just haven’t reached that item on your to-do list. It’s time to move it closer to the top. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently proposed an Ergonomics Program standard. After discussions in early 2000, the final version of the standard will become mandatory by year end.So what does this mean to you? Well, it means that if you don’t currently do the following things (see preliminary checklist below); you could legally be required to do so by the end of 2000.

AccountingWeb has tracked a number of stories over the past few months on Congress and the President's battles over the Federal budget.Based on recent reports, now that the budget year ended Nov. 20, not balancing the budget really isn't so terrible, after all. Among the focus is how Social Security was protected, albeit concern by Republicans and Democrats on securing the senior vote next year.Also under tremendous scrutiny was the proposed Republican tax cut of $792 billion.

All is not well in the city by the Bay. According to sources, San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne has called for an audit of 30 companies that were awarded more than $72 million in construction contracts for expansion of the city's airport.This audit is an effort by the attorney to determine if these companies illegaly received profits from a minority "set-aside" program.

Cookies aren’t something you bake in the oven for the holidays. They are little files that keep information on your Internet browsing history. They also can be used for some cookie-savvy sites to collect information on you – primarily the sites you visit. Cookies can be good. Sites you visit can store information unique for you so you don’t have to enter a password each time to “enter” a membership zone (think AccountingWeb and Amazon).

At its meeting last month, the AICPA Peer Review Board adopted revisions for the AICPA Standards for Performing and Reporting on Peer Reviews (Standards).

Great Plains has earned the Arthur Andersen Global Best Practices Award for Strategic Leadership.

A new tax report issued by the IRS calls attention to taxpayer non-compliance with "nanny" provisions.Statistics indicate only about 300,000 of the 122 million-plus individual income-tax returns filed last year included Schedule H - the form used to pay social security and Medicare taxes.In 1999, the law mandates that anyone who pays a household worker $1,100 or more must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes through Schedule H.