Taxpayers' opinions of tax preparers seem to chime with the Internal Revenue Service's plans to require tax preparers to meet competency and ethical standards, according to a new report by the IRS Oversight Board.
In the report, 78 percent of those surveyed indicate that it is "very important" that tax preparers meet standards of "ethical behavior," while 73 percent believe it is very important that preparers meet competency standards. The numbers are in line with findings from the board's 2008 survey.
While the survey did not explicitly ask about the IRS's current plans to require preparers to register, take CPE courses and be tested, 55 percent of taxpayers indicated that it would have a "great deal of influence" on them if the preparer is subject to regulations or licensing by a government entity, either federal or state. That's compared to 39 percent who said that there would be a great deal of influence on them in choosing a preparer if they were subject to regulation or licensing by an industry association.
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