ADVOCACY
Advocating during a
pandemic
Unlike a normal year, the opportunities to advocate on CPAs’ behalf continued well after the Virginia General Assembly session ended.
The Virginia General Assembly session that began
in January seems like a distant memory since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Gov. Ralph Northam took final action on bills from the session on April 6, 2020, and both chambers reconvened outdoors in Richmond on April 22 overcoming logistical roadblocks of social distancing and not meeting in their normal chambers. The VSCPA has been in close contact with the governor’s office, Virginia Sec. of Finance Aubrey Layne, CPA, and elected officials to chart a path forward and keep the Commonwealth moving.
CORONAVIRUS-RELATED POSITIONS AND LETTERS: > Interest Accrual: We asked you to help us build support for Northam’s proposal to provide relief of interest accrual on delayed tax payments during this crisis and our voices were heard. During a unique reconvene session conducted on the Capitol lawn, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved Northam’s amendments to the state budget to waive interest on income tax payments for which the payment deadline was extended to June 1, 2020, so long as the payment is made on or before June 1, 2020. Additionally, the amendments waive interest on sales tax payments originally due March 20, 2020, so long as the payment was received by April 20, 2020. Northam signed the legislation on April 24. > Tax deadlines: On March 19, we sent a letter requesting that Virginia offer penalty relief after the federal
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DISCLOSURES
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MAY/JUNE 2020
government announced a payment extension. Then, on March 20, we requested a Virginia tax due date extension immediately after the federal government moved its extension to July 15. > CPAs as essential employees: On March 21, the VSCPA sent another letter advocating that, should the governor implement shelter-in-place or lockdown orders, CPAs and the accounting profession should be included in the list of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce. > Payroll providers: The Society also lobbied federal leaders to find an efficient solution for the federal government to use already-existing payroll providers as it distributes payroll funding to small businesses to help keep those businesses from closing their doors.
THE 2020 SESSION We faced an uphill battle to educate the dramatically changed legislature around tax conformity but got emergency fixed-date conformity passed (HB 1413 and SB 582). In fact, this legislation with the first bill Northam signed into law this year. Our efforts around rolling conformity (HB 734) received overwhelming support in the House but did not come up for a vote in the Senate. Your outreach to elected officials was crucial in advancing rolling conformity as far as it went. The groundwork laid during this session will set the table for us to continue the conversation in 2021.
