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Here's what the MACPA does for you

Dear member,

Did you hear that? It’s the sound of the many individual voices of our members who combined to make one powerful noise — one that was heard loud and clear in Annapolis this past year.

The CPA profession's most important bill of the past session, House Bill 1296, “CPAs Out-of-State Practice Privileges” — a mobility bill that makes it easier for CPAs to cross state lines to do business — passed both chambers unanimously. This was due to the MACPA’s legislative team and the efforts of hundreds of MACPA members who testified in writing or in person in support of the bill.

MACPA members identified mobility as one of their top priorities, and as we have done throughout our 107 years, we actively responded to members’ needs, protected their interests and acted as the voice of Maryland’s CPA profession. Help us continue to, collectively, always be the loudest “person” in the room by renewing your 2008-09 MACPA membership.

In addition to this shining example of legislative advocacy at its best, there were several other triumphs:

  • Senate Bill 817, “Maryland Tax Preparer Act,” passed, intact, with all of the amendments that were developed through MACPA town hall meetings.
  • Amendments to the corporate reporting bill, which fixes the overreaching requirements, passed both chambers.
  • We successfully kept sales taxes on accounting and tax services from returning during the "tech tax" debates.
  • The MACPA helped behind the scenes with the repeal of the "tech tax" — a sales taxes on computer services that was added in the final hours of the fall 2007 special session.
  • Plus, comparative fault legislation did not show up this year, which counts as a "win by forfeit."

Working on the legislative front on behalf of the profession is one of the most important endeavors of the MACPA, and only members can stay informed and support what we’re doing. But we do so much more:

  • We help you maintain your hard-earned CPA designation by providing quality professional development training (including affordable ethics programs) through seminars, conferences, chapter meetings, on-site training, online and through the Business Learning Institute to help you achieve your professional career goals and compliance needs.
  • We supply resources to help you do your job. You receive targeted e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, Web site articles and useful links, plus our two magazines, the Source and the Statement.
  • We provide you with vital information. You benefit from peer response via listserves, free professional issues updates worth CPE, and town hall meetings where you get heard and action plans are formulated.
  • We promote and protect your CPA designation through extensive radio, TV and print campaigns.
  • We save you money on printing, office supplies, health and liability insurance, employment services, audio and web conferencing, credit card processing and more!

Your much appreciated dues dollars sustain all this, and help you make more money and be happier. How?

According to a new study released by the William E. Smith Institute for Association Research titled, “Where the Winners Meet: Why Happier, More Successful People Gravitate Toward Associations,” members of professional associations enjoy a number of career-related advantages over non-members:

  • Association members on average earn 52 percent more than non-member counterparts.
  • They are 23 percent happier in their jobs.
  • They are 9 percent happier overall than non-members.

The report also found significant benefits to the employers of association members, including higher morale, increased employer loyalty, networking, professional development, leadership experience, professional community and big-picture thinking. The fact that association membership benefits the CPA and the employer is clearly stated in the report's findings: "Associations are the right vehicles for professionals who want to be in communities of success. Associations are good for employers who want more effective long-term employees."

Here is another benefit to professional association membership, specifically MACPA membership: The MACPA recently ranked second on the Baltimore Business Journal’s 2008 list of the largest business networking organizations in the Baltimore area, which means your membership provides unprecedented access to some of the best networking opportunities all over the state. Our professional development events, New / Young Professionals Network activities, our financial literacy campaign and other enriching volunteer opportunities, and special events like CPA Day in Annapolis, the Annual Meeting and Swearing In Ceremony and the brand new Maryland Business and Accounting Expo offer huge networking advantages.

Speaking of the Expo, coming up June 17-18, MACPA members can attend both days and earn up to 16 CPE hours for just $250 — that’s half off the non-member rate. Renew your MACPA membership and attend the Expo and your membership pays for itself with just a single event. It's one more way in which the MACPA helps Maryland CPAs connect, protect and achieve. Register today and see more info at www.macpa.org/Expo.

Please send your renewal notice with payment, or pay online at www.macpa.org. (If you’ve already renewed online, we thank you!) As an added incentive, if you respond by May 19, we will enter your name into a drawing for a $200 Best Buy gift card. With your membership, we look forward to another outstanding and exciting year.

Sincerely,

Tom Hood, CPA
MACPA Executive Director / CEO

Arthur E. Flach, CPA
Chair-elect, MACPA Board of Directors


P.S.: As a member of the MACPA, you have the opportunity to purchase the best interactive self-study program we’ve ever offered. AICPA CPExpress Select Online Training is designed for MACPA members — and costs just $145 for new orders and $119 to renew your subscription. For more information, go to www.macpa.org/CPExpress.