May 18, 2005
Dear NAEA Members,
I am writing to provide an update on my prior e-mail regarding S. 832.
First, thank you for your enthusiastic support. We are appreciative of the overwhelmingly positive e-mails we've received and the letters that have been sent to legislators. Because of sheer volume, we may not be able to respond to each member individually but we want to extend our thanks to all of you.
A few of you have commented about the use of the word "enrolled." We've received a few suggestions for alternative names for the "enrolled preparers" and actually, I'm quite pleased by the fact that EAs have shown a sense of pride and ownership in the word "enrolled." However, the word "enrolled" is still not a part of the average taxpayer's tax lexicon. We firmly believe that after "enrolled" becomes part of every person's tax vocabulary, the Enrolled Agent designation will be fully appreciated by the public and the distinction between the Enrolled Agent and the enrolled preparer will be fully manifested and understood.
I would like to share with you two points included in a letter of support I received from Chuck Henderson, EA, president of the Arizona Society of Enrolled Agents. With Chuck's permission, I have excerpted some of his thoughts:
- The requirement that the IRS will be required to actively promote each of the newly expanded Circular 230 groups is huge. The fact that IRS will have to specifically include EAs in their promotion efforts (by name and description) will be a giant step in improving the visibility of our credential to the general public. This is something that our members have been begging for forever.
- The present language in the bill using "enrolled" as the descriptor for all non-attorney and non-CPA tax preparers is also an unexpected bonus that would address several issues we have been wrestling with. That choice of words really goes a long way toward solving our problem with public awareness while preserving our original title, eliminating our need to "reinvent" ourselves. I believe that if the public's choice of who to see for their tax needs comes down to an Attorney, CPA, Enrolled Agent or Enrolled Preparer, especially given that the differences will be correctly and fully enumerated, then we win. The use of the common descriptor "enrolled" is a neat solution that helps level the playing field with the public at large and helps EAs solve our "identity crisis."
As I stated last week, we still have a long way to go and much can (and will) happen. Rest assured that NAEA, as the only organization representing EAs solely, will continue to have your best interests, as well as those of the American taxpayer, at heart.
Sincerely,
Francis X. Degen, EA, TCP
President