Accounting & Bookkeeping & Small Business Forum

[bobsolebello]

A major provider of professional tax software is now offering websites to accounting firms which in addition to the usual littany of service offerings will include a Do-It-Yourself button for those folks who would like to prepare their own taxes. I'm curious to know if this is a good marketing strategy. I normally use this companies tax software to prepare my own clients' returns. This offer not only would invite my own client's to do it themselves but it suggests an underlying reason as well and that is there appears to be a movement towards eliminating professional tax preparers altogether in favor of India. I have no doubt that the processing of the do-it-yourself returns will be processed abroad. Can anyone offer insight as to what is really going on out there? I know I am not the only one who has invested a great deal of time and money in both bookkeeping and tax preparation training and I feel that the rug is slowly but surely being snatched from under our feet or should I say under our noses.

[Richard Noot]

bobsolebello wrote: A major provider of professional tax software is now offering websites to accounting firms which in addition to the usual littany of service offerings will include a Do-It-Yourself button for those folks who would like to prepare their own taxes. I'm curious to know if this is a good marketing strategy. I normally use this companies tax software to prepare my own clients' returns. This offer not only would invite my own client's to do it themselves but it suggests an underlying reason as well and that is there appears to be a movement towards eliminating professional tax preparers altogether in favor of India. I have no doubt that the processing of the do-it-yourself returns will be processed abroad. Can anyone offer insight as to what is really going on out there? I know I am not the only one who has invested a great deal of time and money in both bookkeeping and tax preparation training and I feel that the rug is slowly but surely being snatched from under our feet or should I say under our noses.

I would NOT assume just because you invested time and money that makes you any better than anyone else. In fact they are probably more qualifed than you or I. There are not many CPAs in the US that would be willing to work for $8000.00-$10000.00 per year.

[bobsolebello]

I have not suggested that Indian tax preparers are any more or less competent than other tax preparers. If anything, they are being exploited by their own government and the affluent organizations that hire them. My question is whether or not purchasing a website that offers do-it-yourself tax preparation would be a wise marketing move on my part given the fact that it implies that I would be competing with myself as well as providing fodder for Indian entrepreneurs in the same business.

Perhaps, in the long run, India will wake up to the fact that it has its own country to worry about. It should be encouraging its farmers and other business folk to make it on their own and stop exploiting them. Those folks will need plenty of bookkeepers as well as tax preparers for their own businesses. One should see this international "competition" issue in its proper light: Exploitation of the poor by the affluent!

[Richard Noot]

[quote="bobsolebello"]I have not suggested that Indian tax preparers are any more or less competent than other tax preparers.

I QUOTE

there appears to be a movement towards eliminating professional tax preparers altogether in favor of India

Bob: Maybe you should go into politics instead of tax prep. Politicians very good at denying they ever said something.

[bobsolebello]

I was merely stating a fact. There does seem to be a movement to ultimately send all the tax processing as well as bookkeeping functions overseas. The original ad reads:

"Want to create a polished, professional website that will help you attract new clients while cashing in on the boom in do-it-yourself online tax preparation?

Then the ATX special edition of CCH Site Builder with CompleteTax is the answer. We've bundled these two industry-leading products in one package that's exclusively for ATX customers. Using these powerful programs you can:

Create a fully functional website in less than 15 minutes, using a simple 12-step set-up process.
Offer your own privately labeled and easy-to-use online federal and state 1040 tax preparation program for anyone visiting your site.
Pick the prices you charge and then share in the profits generated by each do-it-yourself tax return prepared through your site.
Add professional content from CCH and a wide variety of useful interactive calculators and tools.
Easily change the look and content of your website at any time - as often as you wish - free of charge.
Select your own domain name and pick your website design from a growing collection of styles, with just a click of a button.
Customize your website content using HTML, or contact us to do it for you.

You can even take Site Builder for a FREE 30-day test drive. This trial requires no payment, risk, or obligation and no need to cancel. When you're ready to buy, we'll activate your private-label version of CompleteTax and link it to your website. It's that easy!"

So I asked the question should I regard a website that encourages this process as a favourable marketing tool for me? Indians may be happy being exploited in this way but why should I be? Or am I mistaken as to the intentions of this software maker?

[Richard Noot]

bobsolebello wrote: I was merely stating a fact. There does seem to be a movement to ultimately send all the tax processing as well as bookkeeping functions overseas. The original ad reads:

"Want to create a polished, professional website that will help you attract new clients while cashing in on the boom in do-it-yourself online tax preparation?

Then the ATX special edition of CCH Site Builder with CompleteTax is the answer. We've bundled these two industry-leading products in one package that's exclusively for ATX customers. Using these powerful programs you can:

Create a fully functional website in less than 15 minutes, using a simple 12-step set-up process.
Offer your own privately labeled and easy-to-use online federal and state 1040 tax preparation program for anyone visiting your site.
Pick the prices you charge and then share in the profits generated by each do-it-yourself tax return prepared through your site.
Add professional content from CCH and a wide variety of useful interactive calculators and tools.
Easily change the look and content of your website at any time - as often as you wish - free of charge.
Select your own domain name and pick your website design from a growing collection of styles, with just a click of a button.
Customize your website content using HTML, or contact us to do it for you.

You can even take Site Builder for a FREE 30-day test drive. This trial requires no payment, risk, or obligation and no need to cancel. When you're ready to buy, we'll activate your private-label version of CompleteTax and link it to your website. It's that easy!"

So I asked the question should I regard a website that encourages this process as a favourable marketing tool for me? Indians may be happy being exploited in this way but why should I be? Or am I mistaken as to the intentions of this software maker?



Bob: You definitely should try politics. You not only good at denying your comments being said but then you change the subject also. You even have your own built in forum. Blame the Indians for taking away the jobs that some Americans are to lazy to do themselves.

[bobsolebello]

Richard, I haven't changed the subject but you seem to be ignoring it. The subject had to do with websites, I believe. I do not blame Indians for taking away American jobs. They could not do that on their own without a little aid and abetting of policy makers in this country. This is simply opportunism at work on both sides of the fence. Indians have been given Carte Blance to step into the arena not so much to compete as to usurp. I don't think you will find too many tax preparers or bookkeepers in this country that are too lazy to do the jobs they have trained to do.

I'm a great admirer of many things Indian and American. Deception is not one of them.