NSAC Happenings and Latest News - Page 76
Controllers Feel Pressure to Cook the Books
Nearly two-thirds of corporate controllers feel pressure to "cook the books," according to a new international survey, and many of them feel that misrepresenting their company's performance is just part of their job. The survey, by FloQast, a provider of close management software for corporate accounting departments, found that 64 percent of controllers feel pressure to "cook the books," with 10 percent of them stating it's just ...
Read MoreNew Safe-Harbor Guidance for First-year Depreciation Deduction for Cars
The Treasury Department and the IRS have issued guidance that provides a safe harbor method for determining depreciation deductions for passenger automobiles that qualify for the 100-percent additional first-year depreciation deduction. Affected vehicles must also be subject to the depreciation limitations for passenger automobiles. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the additional first-year depreciation deduction applies to qualified ...
Read MoreThe Eternal Question: What Are a Taxpayer's Chances of an IRS Audit?
As IRS budgets and audit staff continue to diminish, audit numbers are at an all-time low. But when you file your clients' returns, the most common question persists: "How likely am I to be audited?" Taxpayers whose returns stray far away from the norm or have “large, unusual or questionable items” can always be singled out for audit. But overall, as the statistics bear out, the IRS likes to audit taxpayers with certain ...
Read MoreNo Delay in Lease Accounting Standard Effective Date
FASB will not be providing a last-minute reprieve on its lease accounting standard effective date, despite the concerns of financial statement preparers about the difficulty of implementing the new rules. The lease accounting standard takes effect for public companies in 2019 and for most other entities in 2020. It is designed to provide investors with more information by bringing lease assets and obligations onto lessee balance ...
Read MoreCommon Depreciation Missteps and Misconceptions: Demolition of Structures
In most cases, the demolition of a structure to facilitate construction of a new building increases the land value. Not only does the cost of demolition increase the value of the land, but also the remaining basis of the building must be added to the land value at the time of demolition. There are limited exceptions to this. Under section 280B of the U.S. Code, an abandonment loss that is unrelated to demolition is allowed. If a property owned ...
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