Evolution of the American Taxation Association

Abstract of a Paper Presented at the Tax History Conference at the University of Mississippi, December 2, 198

Cryptocurrencies Are Taxable and Not Free From Fraud

In this report, the authors discuss cryptocurrencies — especially bitcoin — and argue that because the IRS lists them as property, they are taxable, and because they are not as anonymous as once thought, they are not free from fraud. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets used as a medium of exchange, but they are not really coins. They can be sent electronically from one entity to another almost anywhere in the world with an internet connection. There are many cryptocurrencies in the market, including bitcoin, ethereum, ethereum classic, litecoin, nem, dash, iota, bitshares, monero, neo, and ripple. Many of the cryptocurrency networks are not controlled by a single entity or company; instead, a decentralized network of computers keeps track of the currency using a token ID. A ledger maintains a continuously growing list of date stamped transactions in real time called “blocks.” This technology is known as blockchain, which records, verifies, and stores transactions without a trusted central authority. The network instead relies on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) with uncertain legal standing

An Examination of Computer Forensics and Related Certifications In The Accounting Curriculum

Forensic accounting has been a fast-growing niche area within the accounting field for many years. While there has been dramatic growth in the number of courses and degrees in forensic accounting offered by universities, certain relevant topics receive little coverage, such as computer forensics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the views of accounting academics and practitioners pertaining to integrating computer forensics in the accounting curriculum, as well as to determine which forensic accounting certifications the respondents hold. Differences in opinions between the two groups are discussed, along with recommendations on how to improve the forensic accounting curriculum pertaining to computer forensics education

Defining a forensic audit

ABSTRACT Disclosures about new financial frauds and scandals are continually appearing in the press. As a consequence, the accounting profession's traditional methods of monitoring corporate financial activities are under intense scrutiny. At the same time, there is recognition that principles-based GAAP from the International Accounting Standards Board will become the recognized standard in the U.S. The authors argue that these two factors will change the practices used to fight corporate malfeasance as investigators adapt the techniques of accounting into a forensic audit engagement model

The Big R : A Forensic Accounting Action Adventure

Risk. It\u27s a factor calculated into all big-time sports operations. But baseball was completely unprepared for the risk this season -- major league murder in the stands. When Fleet Walker, internal auditor for the New York Yankees, figures out that the killers are striking on the anniversaries of perfect games, he becomes embroiled in a plot to hold the national pastime for ransom. Working with a forensic accountant and a FBI agent, he is on the trail of the killers, using his skills as an auditor and his knowledge of baseball history to try to save baseball and its fans. This teaching novel is designed to supplement a forensic auditing, internal auditing, or fraud examination course. Topics covered include interviewing, internal controls, risk assessment, fraud detection, litigation support, forensic accounting consulting, and many more. Students will enjoy the suspense of this psychological thriller that integrates the fundamentals of forensic accounting and brings its applications to life, and they will learn important techniques and concepts as the mystery unfolds and Fleet Walker moves closer to nabbing the killers.https://repository.lsu.edu/facultybooks/1189/thumbnail.jp

Deadly Art Puzzle: An Advanced Accounting Action Adventure

Deadly Art Puzzle is a supplementary text to be used with an advanced accounting course or a financial accounting theory course. This academic novel would be ideal for an MBA program or a finance course which has a light coverage of accounting and could be used in CPA firms\u27 in-house training programs. This novel is also suitable for a law school course on financial accounting. This instructional novel mixes fraud, murder, art, ethics, taxation, and accounting together to help students learn advanced accounting process. Martin Burnside, an owner of an art gallery, goes to Glenn Falls to judge an art exhibit. As a retired CPA and part-time professor, he uses his forensic accounting background to solve a who dun\u27 it plot. Along the way, business acquisition practices and advanced accounting concepts are elucidated in a way both students and instructors will find gripping as well as informative.https://repository.lsu.edu/facultybooks/1047/thumbnail.jp

Accosting the Golden Spire: A Financial Accounting Action Adventure

Accosting the Golden Spire, Fourth Edition mixes financial fraud, crime, ethics, and accounting practice together to provide a better way of learning the accounting process. Featuring a sleuth who handles balance sheets and income statements the way most detectives handle guns, Lenny Cramer and his humorous sidekick put accounting and business concepts into real-life context. Dr. Cramer, a professor at the Wharton School, operates a small forensic accounting firm. He teaches, testifies before Congress, and appears as an expert witness in a court battle. But the real action occurs when he investigates financial fraud in a friend\u27s jade shop. Using his forensic skills, he uncovers a plot to steal treasures from a remote Asian country and almost gets himself killed trying to stop the heist. Golden Spire is an educational novel designed as a supplement to financial accounting courses and professional ethics seminars at either the undergraduate or graduate level. It has been used successfully near the end of principles of accounting, at the beginning of intermediate accounting, and as basis for the discussion of professional codes of conduct in an accounting ethics course. The supplement would also be ideal for an MBA program which has a light coverage of accounting, or in CPA firms\u27 in-house training programs as an enrichment exercise. Classroom tests of early drafts of this third edition and the previous two published editions have demonstrated repeatedly that students enjoy reading the instructional thriller and learn the accounting concepts more readily than through traditional texts.https://repository.lsu.edu/facultybooks/1035/thumbnail.jp

Trap Doors and Trojan Horses: An Auditing Action Adventure

In this educational novel, the famous forensic accountant, Lenny Cramer, has joined the accounting faculty at Georgia State University. In addition to his professorial duties, he is conducting an operational audit for the international soft drink company, Coca-Cola. Espionage and fraud place Lenny\u27s life on the line as he uncovers a scheme to steal Coke\u27s secret formula. The story features a variety of settings, from Washington, D.C. to Poland.As an expert in his field, Professor Cramer uses his forensic auditing knowledge to assist the Coca-Cola Company, his students, the U.S. Congress, and the legal system as an expert witness. With his assistant, Slam Duncan, an accounting Ph.D. student, he puts state-of-the-art technology to work to solve audit problems in the real world.Trap Doors and Trojan Horses may be used near the end of an auditing or beginning of a data processing course. It would be ideal for an MBA program that has a light coverage of accounting or used in CPA firms\u27 in-house training programs.This educational novel illustrates the differences between a regular audit and the investigation required by forensic accountants to uncover computer fraud. Every business executive should read it, because just as termites never sleep, fraud never sleeps. And just like termites, fraud can destroy the foundation of an entity. The novel mixes fraud, crime, politics, ethics, computer techniques, expert witnessing, and auditing for a better and easier way to learn accounting. If used as a supplement to an auditing, forensic accounting, fraud examination, or a computer course, this exciting novel provides a painless way to learn auditing principles. The suspenseful story combines computer and auditing concepts in a fashion even a novice can understand and enjoy. With computer fraud losses reaching $300 billion per year, accountants must be familiar with electronic auditing.https://repository.lsu.edu/facultybooks/1405/thumbnail.jp

Technical report (Texas A & M University. Real Estate Center)

Technical report discussing the rehabilitation tax credit, its benefits, disadvantages, and the qualifications necessary to use it, in relation to historical buildings

The Use Of Regression Analysis As Evidence In Litigating Tax-Related Issues

Despite numerous published academic articles concerning the application of regression analysis as an accounting tool, its applicability as a tool in litigating tax matters has been largely ignored. This research documents the extent to which regression analysis has been used to adjudicate tax issues and points out conditions under which regression-based conclusions are considered legitimate evidence. A number of court decisions regarding federal income tax, state income tax and property taxes are reviewed to illustrate the extent to which regression analysis has been applied, its effectiveness, and implications for future adjudication of tax issues. Evidence from the reviewed court decisions indicates that regression analysis may be successfully used to uncover relevant facts, estimates or projections. However, the credibility of such evidence will depend on the observance of the underlying regression analysis assumptions and on the experts understanding of the phenomenon under study. The use of regression analysis to conduct legal analysis (for example, predicting the outcome of litigation) is of little utility in the courtroom