SImpson to Offer SEE Preparation Course

Federal bills may require testing among tax preparers

For Immediate Release
July 11, 2008

REDDING, Calif. - Simpson University will offer a Special Enrollment Exam (SEE) preparation course this fall through its School of Continuing Studies, ASPIRE program.

The preparation course is designed for CTEC California Registered Tax Preparers (CRTPs), certified financial planners, and certified public accountants and their staff members to prepare for the SEE, which allows them to become Enrolled Agents, a status in which the IRS recognizes individuals as tax professionals.

The 3-module course in affiliation with the California Society of Enrolled Agents, National Association of Enrolled Agents and Far Northern California Chapter of Enrolled Agents, will be offered on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the Simpson campus. The modules will be offered from August 26 to December 2. Space is limited to the first 15 students.

Two federal bills currently before the House and Senate, SB 1219 and HR 5716, are being considered by Congress. If passed, the bills would require the exam for all tax preparers nationwide. The SEE is a higher level exam; Enrolled Agents are licensed to provide taxpayer representation as well as tax preparation.

Rose Hablitzel, a 2006 Simpson graduate and a licensed Enrolled Agent, will be teaching the preparation course with Professor Wally Quirk.

Hablitzel says Simpson University recognizes the growing movement for tax preparers to become Enrolled Agents.

"The interaction with other prospective Enrolled Agents and the ability to ask questions regarding the complex tax laws make this class invaluable for those pursuing the Enrolled Agent designation," said Hablitze. "Currently, approximately 40,000 tax preparers in the state of California who have not been tested or taken the IRS Special Enrollment Examination could be affected if either of these bills pass."

Hablitzel, who owns her own practice in Red Bluff, is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Society of Enrolled Agents, current Chair of the Society's Legislative Affairs Committee, and is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents' Political Action Committee, Steering Committee.

For more information on the SEE preparation course or to enroll in the fall course, contact Rose Hablitzel at (530) 527-8225 or Wally Quirk at (530) 226-4503.

Simpson University, located at 2211 College View Drive in Redding, is a Christian university of liberal arts and professional studies offering undergraduate, graduate and teaching credential programs. Simpson’s academic programs also include ASPIRE, a degree-completion program geared toward working adults in the north state. For more information about the university, or to arrange a personalized visit, call 1-888-9-SIMPSON or visit www.simpsonuniversity.edu.

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Contact: Wendy Matthews
wmatthews@simpsonuniversity.edu
(530) 226-4126