Accountants Circle The Wagons, Sue IRS Over Turf Issue

In 2013, the IRS decided it was a good idea “to encourage non-credentialed tax return preparers to participate in continuing education courses” and it set up a program that rewarded them for taking classes by listing them in an IRS directory of industry professionals. Although the participants were not allowed to describe themselves as “certified” or to say that the IRS has endorsed them, this program did not sit well with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the venerable accounting industry trade group, and it sued the IRS in federal district court. The case was dismissed on the grounds the plaintiffs lacked standing, but on appeal the D.C. Circuit has disagreed and ruled that the lawsuit can continue.