Members of The Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) joined Georgia Department of Revenue officials at GSCPA’s Learning Center recently to discuss issues affecting tax practitioners and their clients.

Members of GSCPA's State and Federal Tax Task Force greeted attendees from across the state. During the meeting, GSCPA members learned more about the Department, its processes, and the changes that occurred this past year through presentations and a roundtable discussion. 

“Joint events of this kind are just one of the many ways The Georgia Society of CPAs takes action to improve the working environment for both GSCPA members and their clients. The income tax and broad array of advisory services provided by CPAs have a tremendous impact on Georgia’s economic health and its citizens. These types of events allow CPAs in the community to fulfill their mission of serving and protecting the public interest,” GSCPA CEO Boyd Search said.

Department Commissioner Lynne Riley stated, "The division directors of the Georgia Department of Revenue and I are grateful for every opportunity to interact with GSCPA members. We appreciate the constructive conversation on topics such as recent changes in federal and state tax policies. Working together, we can identify methods to improve service delivery to taxpayers."

In fiscal year 2014, the Department collected $24.9 billion in gross tax revenues and distributed $4.6 billion in sales tax revenues to counties and municipalities. Utilizing advanced technology, the Department processed nearly 4.3 million individual income tax returns and issued almost 3.0 million refunds. 

This fall, the Department of Revenue will offer a training course on how to use the Georgia Tax Center (GTC). The event plans to cover: administrator rights, how to register as a third party, power of attorney, adding access to another account, notifications and document submission. More details will be available soon in the GSCPA Event Catalog.

Other items of note from the meeting included:

• Debit card option for refunds will not be available going forward. 
• More emphasis will be placed on direct deposit vs. check.
• More credit data will now be captured which requires modifications to income tax forms. 
• There will be an increase in security when accessing GTC, which will include device authentication upon log in.
• Updates will be made via social media sites:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GADeptofRevenue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorgeorgia 

For more information on the annual GSCPA and Department of Revenue meeting or on GSCPA’s State and Federal Tax Task Force, contact Don Cook, VP, legislative affairs at 404-504-2935, or [email protected].