I spent the entire morning on the phone with the State Board of Equalization (BOE).  For those who aren't familiar with this entity it's; a public agency charged with collecting taxes (four areas in specific) in California.  Whenever you purchase an item in California it typically has some sort of sales tax included in the total.  That money is paid directly to our state.  The collecting business is required to reimburse the state with that total on a monthly or quarterly basis.  The newest issue occurring is that the BOE as of 2011 requires all businesses to pay the sales tax liability through EFT (electronic fund transfer). Without going into detail as to what my issue is, to sum it up; they are implementing this new requirement before placing the appropriate tools necessary to satisfy the requirements of large corporations.  My frustration is based on the fact that this new requirement produces more complications for business owners...essentially making things easier on the BOE rather than the business person.  So, I felt it necessary to battle the BOE customer service for upwards of four hours.  Talking to FOUR different representative who didn't have a solution, then transferred to a supervisor who's answer was: "this should be remedied by March 2011" three months after implementation which could result with clients paying penalties if not executed properly.  What a headache...I sent numerous emails to the BOE and agencies which fight for tax payers needs.  We'll see if my whining and complaining result in change.  

On another note; I've created fliers to be attached to the outgoing billing that read "Take Branden to Lunch!", in an effort to really develop more of a working relationship with our clients, I'm replacing the boring office meeting with a lunch!  With that, I'll enable clients to fully understand their financial statements by learning how to analyze them and make appropriate changes.  In the ten years that I've been in the accounting field, I'm all too familiar with the client who receives their financial packet on a monthly basis and places it in a drawer never to be looked at again.  I'll give you the tools to see the importance of analyzing your financials.  I'm excited to see if any clients take advantage of such an offer.  Contact me here at the office if you'd like to book a lunch: 805.544.1656 x 13

Have a great week!