Trust In Accountants At Historic Low, the Fraudster Inside the SBA & IRS
The Accounting Podcast
Trust in Accountants Hits Historic Low
Blake cites Gallup data showing accountants' honesty/ethics ratings near series lows and explores causes and implications.
Are we causing our own busy-season chaos? Blake and David break down a simple scheduling system that spreads tax work, trains clients, and slashes extensions. They debate Congress’s barcode bill vs. e-filing, unpack a poll showing GOP support for a millionaire’s tax, and ask what AI really changes when managers still have to review the bots. Plus: IRS CI’s latest wins, whistleblower e-filing, and a Britney tax fight.
Sponsors
Digits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/digits
OnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpay
TaxBandits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/taxbandits
UNC - http://accountingpodcast.promo/unc
Chapters
- (01:11) - AI and Survey Creation
- (02:30) - Google's Personal Intelligence
- (05:11) - IRS Defunding and Workforce Reduction
- (06:51) - CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer
- (11:12) - Barcode Efficiency Act
- (15:24) - IRS Criminal Investigations
- (17:24) - Payroll Headaches and OnPay
- (18:56) - SBA and IRS Employee Fraud
- (21:41) - IRS Whistleblower Office
- (23:08) - Britney Spears vs. IRS
- (24:04) - Washington State Millionaires Tax
- (27:01) - Busy Season Is Self-Inflicted
- (30:44) - Livestream and CPE Credits
- (31:24) - UNC Kenan-Flagler MAC Program
- (32:38) - A New Year's Eve Pink Eye Adventure
- (33:20) - AI Prescriptions in Utah
- (35:03) - Trust in Accountants at Historic Lows
- (39:13) - Listener Mail: Advisory Services and Online Degrees
- (45:30) - The CPA Exam: Challenges and Changes
- (01:03:17) - Closing Remarks and Earmark App Growth
Show Notes
Are Washingtonians Finally Ready for a State Income Tax?
https://www.dhmresearch.com/are-washingtonians-finally-ready-for-a-state-income-tax/
Guess Who Supports a Millionaires Tax in Washington State? Republicans, Poll Finds
Barometer: Firms Brace for a Tough Tax Season
https://cpatrendlines.com/2025/10/01/barometer-firms-brace-for-a-tough-tax-season/
IRS Advisory Council blasts defunding of agency
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-advisory-council-blasts-defunding-of-agency
IRS Advisory Council report defends workers, criticizes budget and staff cuts
Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council PUBLIC REPORT January 2026
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5316.pdf
Lengthy grudge motivated Brown mass shooting, MIT professor killing: Sources
A Reddit post helped find MIT and Brown shooting suspect. Here's what we know
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/19/nx-s1-5649528/brown-mit-shooter-what-we-know
Former SBA and IRS Employee Charged with Using Government Positions to Steal Millions from COVID Relief Programs
Hampton woman accused of using federal jobs to steal pandemic relief funds
House advances bill to speed tax return processing via barcodes
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/house-advances-bill-to-speed-tax-return-processing-via-barcodes
BARCODE Efficiency Act Brings Overdue Modernization to the IRS
https://atr.org/barcode-efficiency-act-brings-overdue-modernization-to-the-irs/
Utah and Doctronic Announce Groundbreaking Partnership for AI Prescription Medication Renewals
Utah allows nation's first AI drug prescriptions
https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/01/07/utah-ai-drug-prescriptions-doctronic
Nurses Continue to Lead in Honesty and Ethics Ratings
https://news.gallup.com/poll/700736/nurses-continue-lead-honesty-ethics-ratings.aspx
Americans' Ratings of U.S. Professions Stay Historically Low
https://news.gallup.com/poll/655106/americans-ratings-professions-stay-historically-low.aspx
Britney Spears disputes $600K tax claim
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/britney-spears-disputes-600k-tax-claim
Britney Spears Fighting With IRS Over $600,000
https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/19/britney-spears-fighting-with-irs-taxes/
Right Now, Managing AI Agents is About as Much Work as Managing Humans. Just Different Work.
https://www.saastr.com/right-now-managing-ai-agents-is-about-as-much-work-as-managing-humans/
The 'Godfather of SaaS' says he replaced most of his s...
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