The CPA Journal

The Tax and Accounting Sites Directory, www.taxsites.com, is similar in function to a dictionary or a practitioner’s guide. It is a good place to start, whether one knows very little about a topic, needs a quick refresher, or needs a resource. This website is an index of links to an incredible number of tax and accounting resources, and it is so easy to use and so well organized that locating an item of interest takes only a minute. Many of the links offer infor-mation free of charge. Links to web-based subscription services are also available.

The website’s homepage shows a simple index of the major topic headings available, categorized as Tax Sites, Accounting Sites, and Tax and Accounting Jobs. Clicking on any major heading will drill down to extensive indexes under that topic. The sublistings of topics are organized alphabetically and will make sense to the average user.

Examples of main headings under Tax Sites include: tax topics, federal tax law, state and local tax, tax forms and publications, tax software, and tax bookstore. As an example, a tax practitioner needing some last-minute information on IRAs before tax season might want to start with “tax topics.” A sample search there reveals an alphabetical list of around 130 topics. Selecting “retirement plans” from the index drills down to the links available under traditional and Roth IRAs, 401(k) plans, small business plans, and pensions and annuities. The links to other websites under “retirement plans” include the Internal Revenue Service, Quicken.com, Tax Planet, and Brentmark Software. All of the links tested connected quickly to their appropriate websites.

Need information on the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002? Another sample search, under “federal tax law,” provides access to a variety of governmental, for-profit, and not-for-profit websites, offering tax legislation highlights, summaries of recent tax acts, tax code, tax regulations, other administrative, and court decisions as subheadings.

Thinking of changing income tax preparation software, or need to find a source for forms, payroll, or property tax software? The “tax software” link on the homepage drills down to such items and others, such as tax planning and research software, tax tools, and calculators. Need quick access to tax rate tables, per diem rates, or depreciation tables? Click on “rates & tables.” Need to find a job or post a job? Try “tax jobs,” “featured jobs,” or “post jobs.”

Moving throughout the website, back and forth between screens and links, is quick and effortless. The website also offers an efficient key word search function for users who prefer that approach.

This Month | About Us | Archives | Advertise| NYSSCPA

The CPA Journal is broadly recognized as an outstanding, technical-refereed publication aimed at public practitioners, management, educators, and other accounting professionals. It is edited by CPAs for CPAs. Our goal is to provide CPAs and other accounting professionals with the information and news to enable them to be successful accountants, managers, and executives in today's practice environments.