Wow...  
Hard to believe May is here.  It was just February.  May 1st is always a little depressing for me because it marks the day after the filing deadline that I stop putting Kahlua in my coffee.  Tax workers of the world, back to work. 

Tax season went by in another crazy blur.
I hope the season went well for all of you and, since many of us must make most of our hay for the year during this particular period of sunshine, that it proved pleasantly profitable. 

There is no doubt that one of the most valuable benefits of membership is the ability to reach out to other members for help with a sticky question. Whether this is attending a round table of knowledge team meeting or picking up the phone and calling another member, it is good to know there are people who have your back. And they will pick up the phone, even on April 8th when they are worn down to the nubbins by their own client work. Come to think of it though, any answers I gave you on April 8th, I hope you double-checked. 

Speaking of dates.  What date did you receive your first call about the deductible vs. non-deductible property tax “retreat”?  If you were like me then you spent some time this year explaining to clients about these items on their property tax statements only to have the State issue a press release on April 14th stating “never mind”.  The phone calls – thankfully not too many – started pretty soon and went along the lines of:  “The lady on TV said we should amend our tax returns.”  Luckily the lady also said that unless they could go ahead and do it themselves it probably wasn’t worth the money.

Before I forget I would like to take time for a shout out to Don Ellison EA and Mike Huff EA who, along with me, represented our chapter and profession quite well at the annual KGO 7 On Your Side tax hotline.  Volunteers took calls and answered online chat room questions from the public for four hours on two separate evenings (March 14th and April 3rd).  Over these two events 678 phone-in and 105 on-line questions were answered.  Calls came in on a variety of topics ranging from capital loss carry forwards, to EIC, to income thresholds for filing requirements, to student loan deductions to name just a few.  It was a very rewarding experience and everyone I spoke with was very grateful for the assistance.  I even got to talk to Michael Finney and was served a free spaghetti dinner.  Oh, and look at the awesome computer on the desk?  Is that a Mac II?