MSATP Updates Archives

Connections that last beyond the weekend

Running a solo or small firm can be isolating. BBCC gave attendees the chance to meet practitioners who understand that reality firsthand. CPAs, Enrolled Agents, tax preparers, and bookkeepers swapped business cards, compared notes on busy season, and made plans to stay in touch.

Those relationships matter. The colleague you met at breakfast could become your next referral partner, your sounding board on a tricky client situation, or the person who covers for you when you finally take a vacation.

Real talk, peer to peer

BBCC was built around conversation, not just presentation. After key sessions, attendees broke into discussion groups to dig into what they had just heard and apply it to their own practices.

The result was candid, practical exchange. People shared what has worked for them, what hasn’t, and what they wish they had known sooner. Often, the most valuable takeaway came from the person sitting at the next table, not the front of the room.

Learning from people who have been there

Our speakers brought hard-won experience from their own practices, and it showed. A few highlights:

“Stop Babysitting Your Clients” tackled how to set boundaries and expectations so clients take ownership of their part of the process. The follow-up discussion group, “The Concierge Is Closed,” kept the conversation going.

“Always On, Always Waiting” addressed the pressure to be constantly available and how to build a practice that respects your time.

The Client Portal panel brought together seasoned practitioners to share how they use portals to streamline document collection, communication, and the client experience.

Each session left attendees with ideas they could put to work in their own firms the following Monday.

Having fun while doing it

Who says professional development has to be all business? Hershey set the perfect backdrop for a weekend that balanced learning with laughter. Attendees enjoyed great food, relaxed evenings together, and the kind of easy camaraderie that only comes when people let their guard down.

That sense of fun is part of the point. When professionals recharge, they return to their clients with fresh energy, and the friendships formed in a relaxed setting tend to last.

See you at Rocky Gap in 2027

Thank you to every attendee, speaker, panelist, and volunteer who made this year’s conference a success. We are already planning next year.

The next Build Your Better Practice Conference will be held November 7–9, 2027, at Rocky Gap in Flintstone, Maryland.

Whether you joined us in Hershey or missed it this time, we hope to see you in the mountains next fall.

March 15, 2025

This week, MSATP Executive Director Giavante’ Hawkins testified before both the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in opposition to House Bill 1554 and Senate Bill 1045, which would impose a new 2.5% sales tax on accounting and tax services provided to business entities.

Our Message to Legislators

In testimony before both committees, Hawkins emphasized the devastating impact this legislation would have on Maryland’s accounting professionals and the businesses they serve.

“This legislation would devastate small accounting practices throughout Maryland, most of which are small businesses themselves operating on thin margins,” Hawkins testified. “These firms would face an impossible choice: absorb the tax and further reduce already slim profit margins, or pass the tax to clients and risk losing them to larger firms or out-of-state providers.”

A key point in our testimony was the cross-border disadvantage this would create for Maryland accounting professionals. As Hawkins explained to the committees, “A business in Western Maryland could easily drive 20 minutes to Pennsylvania and establish a relationship with an accountant there, completely bypassing this tax. This places Maryland accounting professionals at a severe competitive disadvantage.”

Inequitable Treatment

Our testimony also highlighted the inexplicable disparity in how the bill treats different professional services.

“While accounting services under NAICS code 5412 are specifically targeted, legal services under NAICS code 5411 are conspicuously absent from the list of taxable services,” noted Hawkins. “This selective approach would apply the tax to approximately 188,917 accounting, tax preparation, and bookkeeping businesses while exempting approximately 359,026 legal service businesses.”

This inequitable treatment is particularly problematic since some legal service providers also offer tax services but would remain exempt under the proposed legislation.

Taxing Mandatory Compliance

Perhaps most concerning is that this bill would create a “tax on a tax” by increasing costs for services that are essential for compliance with mandatory tax filing requirements.

“Filing tax returns is not optional – it is required by law,” Hawkins emphasized. “We should not be increasing fees for those who choose to hire a tax preparer to ensure they are in compliance with tax laws.”

The Fight Continues

While we appreciate the opportunity to testify, the fight is far from over. MSATP is continuing our advocacy efforts by reaching out to individual legislators and committee members.

“We are asking that if this bill moves forward, tax and accounting services be removed from the list of taxable services,” says Hawkins. “None of our neighboring states – Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, or Virginia – impose sales tax on accounting and tax preparation services. This would place Maryland tax professionals at a severe competitive disadvantage.”

How Members Can Help

MSATP members can support our efforts by:

Contacting your local representatives to express your concerns
Sharing the potential impact on your practice and clients
Emphasizing that this tax would harm compliance efforts and potentially reduce state revenue

We have prepared template letters that members can use when contacting legislators. These are available in the members-only section of our website.

We will continue to keep members updated as these bills progress through the legislative process. Your voice matters in this important fight for our profession and the businesses we serve throughout Maryland.

The Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals represents over 2,000 tax and accounting professional members who serve more than 700,000 Maryland residents.

Category: MSATP Updates

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