tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6318055043707993918.post7061479489724875901..comments2024-02-20T02:12:18.090-05:00Comments on THE WANDERING TAX PRO: THE FUTURE OF THE RTRP DESIGNATION – THE CONVERSATION CONTINUESRobert D Flachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034127763662917220noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6318055043707993918.post-36418856040166764362014-01-16T10:31:53.199-05:002014-01-16T10:31:53.199-05:00"There is no change to the EA credential, exc..."There is no change to the EA credential, except for a better name."<br /><br />Is this referring to the name "Enrolled Tax Return Preparer"? If so, this is a worse name. Status as an enrolled agent has nothing to do with tax return preparation. It has to do with the ability to act as an agent - to represent taxpayers in front of the IRS.<br /><br />As I said on Jason's blog, the only way I'd possibly support this is if the RTRP test (or whatever you want to call it) is just as hard as the SEE (the EA exam), and no one is grandfathered in except possibly those who have passed the SEE.<br /><br />If you give people who are less expert in taxes than EAs a special designation, that absolutely *will* hurt the EA credential. There's nothing magical about the term "Enrolled Tax Return Preparer" which tells the public that it's a higher status than "Registered Tax Return Preparer". The latter would quite plainly dilute the value of the former. And if the test isn't mandatory, what's the point of making it easier than the SEE?<br /><br />"of course with a grandfathering exemption for the veteran preparers"<br /><br />What would be the point of grandfathering in veteran preparers? A veteran preparer can already simply advertise her veteran preparer status.Anthony DiPierro, EAnoreply@blogger.com