This post is reprinted from our blog at www.cpasuccess.com from our Chief Blogger, Bill Sheridan.
Maryland CPAs save the world … again
Want to know what dedication looks like?
Try 150 CPAs crawling out of bed before the break of dawn, giving up a day of work during tax season, dodging the gubernatorial inauguration crowd, and turning out en masse to talk politics and protect their profession.
It happens every January, and it amazes me each year. But in a lot of ways, the 2011 edition of CPA Day in Annapolis was extraordinary — and more important than ever.
Start with the waves of legislative and regulatory change sweeping over the profession. It's unprecedented, really. There's more at stake for CPAs these days than ever before. One need only look at the MACPA's 2011 legislative agenda to see that — or consider issues like bids to change Maryland's tort liability standards. It's opposed by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the MACPA, and more than 50 businesses and business organizations.
More than ever, CPAs need to step up and protect their businesses.
And that's just what they did on Jan. 19. A record 150 MACPA members made the trip to Annapolis — over 50 percent more than the average CPA Day crowd. Nearly half were first-time attendees. They met with their legislators, stated their cases and struck a blow for CPAs everywhere.
“It's great to see so many CPAs getting engaged in the legislative process,” said Allen DeLeon, the MACPA's vice chair and head of the association's Legislative Executive Committee. “They're making our voice stronger.”
They might just have changed the accounting world as well.
Overly dramatic, you say?
Let's imagine a world without CPA activists.
Talk about drama.
We'll be following the progress of CPA-related bills throughout the 2011 session of Maryland's General Assembly at our sister blog, Legislative Insider. Be sure to follow along.
And be sure to check out the Maryland Chamber Action Network as well. Run by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the blog tracks important legislation at both the state and federal levels.
Happy reading. It's going to be an interesting session.