Last week, the discussion in this space was about the role of CPAs in business intelligence. While it is not clear how interested accountants are in doing that or how adept they might be, the interest of companies that sell products and services to tax and accounting firms is growing in providing analytical tools. And why not, the vendors have all that customer data.

A few years ago, companies that included Thomson, CCH and Sage started marketing products that let users perform scenarios within financial statements. They could change entries in profit and loss statements or on balance sheets and the numbers would ripple through the system. They could also calculate ratios as part of providing clients insight into their businesses. These tools are part of business intelligence, although by no means all of the capabilities that fall under that often-abused ...

Back in the days of green eye shades and manual accounting, the process known as Engagement and Trial Balance were essential to the practice of both audits and accounting. Trial balance showed a quick snapshot of the validity of the company's transactions during audits and other legations, while Engagement handled to processes of opening, tracking and successfully completing the client work.

Sales and use taxes could hardly be a more simple matter. Calculate your total sales for the month, multiply by the tax rate for the jurisdiction (usually city, county and state) and remit to amount due. If you somehow forget to do it, or miscalculate the amount, that jurisdiction will happily double-check your work and correct your math.

The Internal Revenue Service has released guidance and forms that employers can use to claim a newly-expanded tax credit for hiring veterans. Employers will also be given more time to file a certification form for employees hired on or after Nov. 22, 2011 and before 2012. Some tax-exempt organizations that hire unemployed veterans during that period are now also eligible for the credit.

The National Society of Accountants has been approved as a continuing education provider by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS sanction means that NSA can offer courses to professionals who are requried to complete 15 credit hours of CPE under the Registered Tax Return Preparer program.The approval also applies to courses for Enrolled Agents who must earn 72 credit hours every three years.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department has conducted a nationwide sweep to arrest perpetrators of tax refund fraud and identity theft. The agencies said they had targeted 105 people in 23 states and filed 939 criminal charges as part of 69 indictments.

The worst game on the Internet has nothing to do with gambling or video. It is the game website owners play in trying to guess how the major search engine companies calculate their rankings - what factors reward a page and what factors penalize it in displaying the results of a search. It is this process that makes a page more prominent or hard to find.

There are lots of events that happen once and only once every year: Holidays like Thanksgiving, Birthdays like yours, and Sports like the Super Bowl. The Consumer Electronics Show almost falls within the once and only once category.

Purchasers of Intuit's TurboTax are continuing to shift from desktop software to using the company's consumer tax preparation product online. Overall, the company sold slightly more than 14 million units for the second quarter ended January 31, a 10-percent increase as Intuit said it continues to take share in the online market. CEO Brad Smith also said that do-it-yourself products are cutting into the business of some professional preparers.

Wolters Kluwer, the parent of CCH, is moving heavily into providing analytical products that draw upon the data the company has gathered in its operations. That plan was briefly outlined by Chief Executive Nancy McKinstry as the company reported that net income was up 2 percent and revenue up 4 percent, both in constant currencies, for the year ended December 31.

If the way vendors pushing products show interest in online applications, then nonprofits must be demanding them. At least a lot more choices are hitting the markets for those organizations that would like to consider Internet-based software. Blackbaud has been expanding the presence of the online version of its Financial Edge Software; Sage North America is readying the launch of a cloud suite this summer. SaaS-based Intacct has started pushing into the space. And AccuFund finds market interest

A Los Angeles-area tax preparer has been permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns for others. The Justice Department alleged that returns prepared by Maria Teresita Viray of Reseda, Los Angeles County resulted in a loss of more than $45 million in tax revenue from 2008 to 2010. Viray operated TVDM Tax Services, MTV Tax Services and New Horizon Tax Services and had prepared thousands of returns since 2008.

Fujitsu's Kim Hogan, Business Development Manager, talks about their mobile and network scanners for accountants.

Bob Scott talks with Francesca Zelasko of SurePayroll about their accountant payroll reselling programs.

Bob Scott, talks with Fresh Books about their new Accountants Program and how they can refer and consult to their small business clients.