The AICPA® Tax Executive Committee (TEC), an AICPA standards setting committee designated to promulgate tax practice standards, issues the Statements of Standards for Tax Services (SSTSs). The General Standards Rule (AICPA, Professional Standards, ET secs. 1.300.001 and 2.300.001) and the Compliance With Standards Rule (AICPA, Professional Standards, ET secs.1.310.001 and 2.310.001) of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct require compliance with these standards.
Many state boards of accountancy also incorporate the SSTSs as part of their professional rules of conduct for CPAs.
The purpose of this combined document is to solicit feedback, respectively, on:
Part 1: Exposure Draft (ED) of proposed revisions to the AICPA’s SSTSs that, if adopted, will become effective on Jan. 1, 2024, and
Part 2: Invitation to Comment (ITC) on potential approaches to effectively introduce quality management in tax.
The goals of the SSTSs revisions are to ensure that they are better aligned to reflect the current state of the tax profession and to address the emerging needs of today’s members.
Proposed updates to the standards include:
Reorganization of the SSTSs by type of tax work performed and
Promulgation of three new standards surrounding data protection, reliance on tools and the representation of tax clients before taxing authorities
The ITC is separate and independent from the ED and presents items for consideration that require additional research and investigation and thus will require additional time to define and potentially implement. Depending on the nature of the comments received in response to this ITC, the AICPA will pursue additional research to determine the appropriateness of future modifications to the SSTSs or other guidance. At this time, it is not known if or when any changes resulting from the ITC will be implemented.
Request for comments
Respondents are asked to provide comments on the proposed changes and questions listed in the ED and the ITC. Comments are most helpful when they refer to specific questions and include the reasons supporting the respondent’s view. When a respondent agrees with proposals in the ED or ITC, it will be helpful for the AICPA to be made aware of this view.
Written comments on the ED and ITC will become part of the public record of the AICPA and will be available on the AICPA’s website after Dec. 31, 2022. The AICPA will consider all responses received on or before Dec. 31, 2022.
Please submit comments via our Comments Form. Alternatively, you may email your submission to: SSTScomments@aicpa-cima.com.
Reponses may be submitted in Word format or directly in the body of the email with an appropriate signature (name, firm). Unless the respondent explicitly permits otherwise, comments will be posted without the sender’s email address. Respondents may also submit a PDF version of their response for posting to the AICPA website.
Related resources
Proposed revisions to the tax standards (SSTS) — Access a resource hub that provides the objective of the SSTS updates, project timeline and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).