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SmartPros Accounting Homepage Justice Dept. to Investigate IRS Targeting of Tea Party The Justice Department is opening a criminal investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of tea party groups for extra scrutiny over whether they qualified for tax exempt status, Attorney General Eric Holder announced. SmartPros:  SmartPros® Financial Results Investor Relations Weekly Newsletter Newsletter Subscriptions Online CPE Catalog ONLINE CPE: The Nature of Risk: What Keeps You Awake at Night? The economic turmoil of the past few years has brought the importance of risk - and, specifically, its management – into even sharper focus. According to David X. Martin, author of "The Nature of Risk," financial executives have a natural insight into managing the risks confronting their organization in today's complex and ever-changing environment.

Inside SmartPros: This Week in the SmartPros News & Insights Newsletter Newsline: SEC Chief to Review 'No Admit or Deny' Policy ... Feature: Survey Identifies Non-Accounting Skills Most Sought in Accountants ... CPE: Best-Practice EVA: Measuring and Maximizing Shareholder Value ... Book Pick: Best-Practice EVA

News & Insights

IRS: Top Official First Told of Targeting in 2012 Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven T. Miller failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being inappropriately targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter. Presidents, IRS: A Dicey Relationship President Obama and his aides are trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the Internal Revenue Service -- and with good reason. Report: 4 IRS Offices Targeted Conservatives Internal Revenue Service Tea Party targeting went beyond an Ohio office, and the current and ex-IRS heads knew about the practice a year ago, records indicate. IRS's Power Requires Great Responsibility Internal Revenue Service has found itself at the other end of an audit, and rightly so. The recent revelation that the agency targeted conservative groups for heightened scrutiny raises the specter of misuse of one of government's greatest powers -- taxation -- for political purposes. IRS Picked Wrong Tests to Ferret Out Abuses IRS employees struggled to devise a test to flag blatantly political organizations. Unfortunately, their methods were spectacularly wrong. IRS Chief: Agency Lacked Sensitivity in Screenings The IRS acting chief acknowledged Tuesday that the agency demonstrated "a lack of sensitivity" in its screenings of political groups seeking tax-exempt status, but he said those mistakes won't be repeated. Survey Identifies Non-Accounting Skills Most Sought in Accountants Today's job market is more than a numbers game for accounting and finance professionals, a new Accountemps survey finds. SEC Chief to Review 'No Admit or Deny' Policy The new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission says she will review the agency's policy of letting companies and individuals settle charges without admitting or denying wrongdoing. Argentina Tells SEC It Wants Proof in Bribery Case Argentina wants the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to name names and provide proof that Ralph Lauren Corp. bribed customs officials for years to allow its products into the South American country. Financial Accounting Foundation Names Russell G. Golden Chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Russell G. Golden today was named as the next chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

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FREE CPE: XBRL: Long Anticipated, Now Required The third phase of the SEC's interactive data disclosure program took effect this month, with nearly all public companies now required to submit their data in the fully searchable, digital format known as XBRL. Joseph Howell, managing director at WebFilings, reviews how businesses are complying with the SEC mandate and predicts how companies will adapt the XBRL technology for their own internal needs. SmartPros Price: FREE! - Sponsored by WebFilings CPA Report Online Subscribe to the top online CPE program for public accountants. CPA Report Online covers the latest events impacting public practice. SmartPros Price: Courses: $59.98 - Subscriptions: $409 FMN Online Subscribe to the program that more than half of the Fortune 500 trust for CPE. Stay up to date on Sarbanes-Oxley and other key events impacting corporate finance. SmartPros Price: Courses: $69.90 - Subscriptions: $429

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