Clock ticks on 2020 returns; remembrances; what’s ahead for marketing tech; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

Getting things done

• Keller Advisors (https://ritakeller.com/wordpress/): Just Find the Energy Dept.: The importance of the after-season debriefing.
• Taxing Subjects (https://www.drakesoftware.com/blog): Top-level questions before you start building (or revamping) your firm’s website.
• National Taxpayer Advocate (https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/taxnews-information/blogs-nta/): The May 17 deadline looms for taxpayers who haven’t filed a 2020 return to claim a refund or their Recovery Rebate Credit. The IRS estimates that almost 940,000 taxpayers have unclaimed refunds totaling more than $1 billion for that tax year.
• TaxProf Blog (http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/): Property taxes, lifeblood of local governments, are among “the most powerful and stealthy engines of racism and wealth inequality our nation has ever produced.” How the Biden administration has done little to tackle this problem.
• Avalara (https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america.html): Why W-9 and 1099 services are a natural addition for CAS practices.
• Tax Vox (https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox): Remembering Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist who upended economics (and the concept of rationality, especially in taxes and retirement saving).
• The Rosenberg Associates (https://rosenbergassoc.com/blog/): Favorite passage of the week, commemorating the late Don Scholl: “Not a CPA, but knew our business better than most CPAs. He was one of the first consultants to understand that CPA firms should be managed like a real business instead of a group of collegial, democratically minded partners who managed by committee and were inept at getting things done.”
• The Tax Times (https://www.thetaxtimes.com): Consistency is so important: This year again, offer-in-compromise mills make the IRS Dirty Dozen list of hot scams.

States of mind

• Withum (https://www.withum.com/resources/): State news also includes New Mexico’s introduction this summer of new deductions, credits and incentives to income taxes and the gross receipts and compensating tax; New Jersey’s upcoming launch of a taxpayer portal that will start with the state’s indirect taxes; and Nebraska’s proposed new gross receipts tax on advertising services.
• Marcum (https://www.marcumllp.com/insights): Florida tenants and those who hold licenses to use real property can look forward to reducing their sales tax obligations come June 1. 
• HBK (https://hbkcpa.com/insights/): Another look at Florida’s change, including when the tax on rentals, leases or licenses to use real property generally does and doesn’t apply.
• Taxjar (https://www.taxjar.com/resources/blog): Does Virginia charge sales tax on services?

Brewing battles

• Armanino (https://www.armanino.com/articles/): The cookie is dying; user privacy protections are expanding; there’s a battle brewing over ad blockers — and AI is revolutionizing how work gets done. Challenges and opportunities surrounding marketing technology show no signs of easing.
• Summing It Up (http://blog.freedmaxick.com/summing-it-up): What to remind nonprofit clients about the efficiency of cost allocation.
• Boyum & Barenscheer (https://www.myboyum.com/blog/): What to remind business clients about managing inventory.
• Procedurally Taxing (https://www.taxnotes.com/procedurally-taxing): Examination continues of the effects on federal tax credits and IRS use of child support order data from the Federal Case Registry in place of data on child custody.