
Hosted by Arizona Society of CPAs · ENGLISH

Originally published in the ASCPA's magazine, listen to a podcast version of the article written by ASCPA member Amy O’Loughlin, CPA, as she breaks down tax credits affecting clean energy and climate change programs for the next 10 years

Discover the power of authenticity and speaking up in the workplace. Explore the challenges that hinder self-expression, and learn how authenticity impacts professional success from the perspective of an active CPA and CFO.

Bob Kilpatrick and Nancy Wilburn are Certified Public Accountants turned educators who have touched the lives of thousands of accounting students. Today, their students are leaders, firm partners, recruiters, advisory council members and more. In the ASCPA’s 90-year history, Kilpatrick and Wilburn are recognized in 2024 as the 10th and 11th Honorary Members, selected for their impact on Arizona’s accounting profession. Wilburn is well-regarded for her early use of collaboration as a teaching method in the classroom to help students connect with the material and their peers. She is the 1994 recipient of the Arizona CPA Foundation for Education & Innovation’s Excellence in Teaching Award and two-time winner of the Foundation’s Education Innovation Award. Kilpatrick also helped shape the accounting education that helped students continue to be successful with the CPA examination by modernizing curriculum and incorporating feedback from professionals active in the business. He is the 2009 recipient of the Arizona CPA Foundation for Education & Innovation’s Excellence in Teaching Award and served on the Foundation’s board and scholarship selection committee for nine years. To attend our Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon, reserve your ticket: ascpa.com/annual To support students through scholarships or accounting professors through our Excellence in Teaching Award, visit ascpa.com/foundation.

If you often feel pulled in many different directions as a working professional, you are not alone. Many of us strive for what’s been referred to as “work/life balance” or what is becoming “work/life integration” in a post-COVID world. In this session, we will discuss tips and strategies to successfully balance your work and home life. Thank you to Kate Franklin, an Arizona CPA, for leading this session. This webcast is the first in our Leadership & Growth Alliance series. Register for the full series, which is free for ASCPA members: www.ascpa.com/lga

John Baumer, the ASCPA's director of government relations, sits down with Ryan DeMenna and Maegan Johnson from DeMenna Public Affairs to break down the complicated changes and big advocacy wins that occurred during the legislative session.

Representative Seth Blattman joins the ASCPA to discuss the recent bipartisan budget that was passed in record time, its impact, and the process behind allocation and negotiations. Representative Blattman expresses his support for the budget and highlights the efficiency of the process, while acknowledging the need for better inclusion of Democratic leadership in future budgets. The representative shared his insights on the challenges and learning curve for a first-year legislator, the importance of building relationships across party lines, and the potential for compromise in future sessions with a divided government.

The ASPCA Podcast is produced by the Arizona Society of CPAs. Today's episode originally aired as part of the Legislative Scoop webinar series with Arizona State Representative Marcelino Quiñonez. Listen to more of the ASCPA Podcast: www.ascpa.com/podcast Learn more about the ASCPA's advocacy efforts: www.ascpa.com/advocacy

The impacts of COVID-19 are still felt on the Arizona Legislature, with newly elected lawmakers coming into the processes in an anomalous year. The interpersonal relationships that are normally built while walking the halls of the House and Senate are made difficult in a hybrid setting. The one-vote margin majorities in both chambers lend to a more polarizing partisan divide and make reaching consensus and passing legislation more difficult. As legislators work to come to an agreement on the state budget, Sen. Shope and Rep. Hernandez discuss their goals for this year and the process of negotiating their priorities into the final version of budget legislation. A major part of the proposed budget is a tax omnibus, including a shift to a flat income tax for Arizonans. The full impacts of the shifts are hotly debated, whether it is a reduction in revenues to cities and towns and if it will achieve its intended goal of stimulating the economy. In terms of the legislative process, the two agree that as Arizona continues to grow the number of legislative districts needs to be reviewed for lawmakers to better represent their constituencies.

Every year the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives must consider whether or not and how to conform to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) for the tax year that just ended. To Arizona taxpayers this is vitally important since they must use federal adjusted gross income to determine the starting point for filing state tax returns. With the legislative session convening in January and tax returns due April 15, the pressure is on to pass the conforming legislation early. Without early passage, taxpayers and tax preparers are left making assumptions and often file for extensions or have to amend returns. When conformity occurs late in the session it means higher costs to the taxpayer and more complexity and time spent on state income taxes.So why does the Arizona Legislature have to consider this bill each year? Rather than create a separate tax code with separate definitions, Arizona uses the IRC as the base for the state, making taxes less complicated for taxpayers. Since state returns use the federal definitions as the starting point, any changes at the federal level mean Arizona needs to update, or taxpayers face increased complexity and higher likelihood of amended returns or errors.It turns out the Arizona Constitution prohibits the delegation of legislative authority, meaning state legislators can’t designate the IRC as the definition for Arizona taxes on a rolling basis, automatically adopting any changes made at the federal level. Instead, the state uses fixed date conformity, which aligns Arizona taxes to the IRC as of a specific date in time and allows lawmakers the ability to assess federal changes each year. That hasn’t always been the case. Prior to 1980 Arizona did not conform to the IRC at all, and instead made its own definitions of what was taxable at the state level. That meant individuals and businesses had to keep federal and state definitions in mind when filing both returns, making the filing process a laborious one. To simplify the process and ease the burden on taxpayers, Arizona began conforming on a fixed date basis to the IRC. In most years income tax conformity is noncontroversial and viewed as a technical exercise, updating the date in Arizona Revised Statute that refers to the IRC. When Congress enacts major changes or overhauls, like with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, there are potential revenue impacts in Arizona. In those instances, the process of conforming can become more complex and delve more into policy considerations, often delaying legislative resolution and thereby causing uncertainty for Arizona taxpayers. ASCPA members and tax experts David Walser, Anne Cornelius, Ed Zollars and Jared Van Arsdale provide insights on income tax conformity and why it matters to Arizonans. Longtime ASCPA lobbyist Kevin DeMenna shares historical context and the politics behind this annual exercise. Arizona Department of Revenue Deputy Director Dr. Grant Nülle gives an overview of the process from the department’s perspective.

House Ways & Means Chairman Ben Toma discusses the unique 2020 legislative session, the impacts of COVID-19 and potential issues for the Arizona Legislature to address in special sessions.