• Accounting
• Excise Tax
• Management
• Stock Repurchase

Stock buybacks have grown from a once-restricted practice into a dominant way corporations return cash to shareholders. While they return more cash to shareholders than dividends, the financial-reporting and tax risks that large buybacks create must be managed – from negative equity and distorted ratios to rising excise-tax costs.

By Karen M. Oxner, CPA, DBA, MBA, BS, and Ashley D. Phillips, LL.M., JD, BSBA

• Community
• Member Benefit
• Membership
• Professional Issues
• Volunteer

Stepping into 2026 brings a wave of opportunity for TXCPA members. This issue of Today’s CPA covers key updates like H.R. 1, SECURE 2.0 and retirement planning, plus insights on AI-driven tax compliance and IRS technology trends. Explore ways to grow, give back, and connect through TXCPA programs and events.

By Jodi Ann Ray, CAE

• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Analytics
• IRS

The IRS is rapidly expanding its use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to modernize operations, reshaping compliance, enforcement and taxpayer interactions. From AI-powered chatbots that ease service demands to advanced analytics, the agency is harnessing technology to manage massive data volumes—while walking a careful line between efficiency, fairness and taxpayer trust.

By Leo Unzeitig, CPA, JD, and William Stromsem, CPA, JD

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Tax Services

Business Problem Solved: Companies can struggle to stay on top of complex, high-volume sales and use tax obligations, and this article shows how a hybrid rules-plus-machine-learning approach enables earlier detection, reduces manual review and ensures scalable, auditable compliance.

By Karina Kasztelnik, Ph.D.

• Becoming a CPA
• Community
• Continuing Professional Education
• Leadership
• Learning
• Membership
• Volunteer

Plan your year with this snapshot of essential events, deadlines and learning opportunities for TXCPA members.

• Becoming a CPA
• Corporate Culture
• Ethics
• Fraud

Cheating among accounting students and practitioners is increasing and threatens public trust in the profession. Research shows that unethical behavior in school often carries into professional practice. Stronger penalties and dedicated ethics education are needed to break this cycle and reinforce integrity as a core professional value.

By Dr. Donald L. Ariail, Dr. Amine Khayati, Dr. Katherine Taken Smith, and Dr. Lawrence Murphy Smith

• Becoming a CPA
• Community
• CPA Pipeline
• Membership
• Volunteer

TXCPA members are making a big impact! During Accounting Opportunities Month and our annual Month of Service, 68 volunteers reached over 3,000 students and supported local charities across Texas. From hosting career workshops and networking events to packing meals and donating toys, chapters showed the power of giving back.

• Becoming a CPA
• Legislative Advocacy

TXCPA delivered major wins for Texas CPAs during the 2025 legislative session, strengthening the profession at a pivotal moment. New legislation expanded pathways to CPA licensure, modernized practice mobility for out-of-state CPAs and reinforced public protection. These successes highlight the growing impact of TXCPA’s advocacy and the critical role of the TXCPA PAC in safeguarding the CPA license.

By Kenneth Besserman, JD, LLM

• Community
• Member Benefit
• Membership

A big thank you to all the firms and organizations that joined or renewed with TXCPA’s Professional Group Membership program. To simplify renewals and maximize your team’s benefits, be sure to explore our group billing option.

• Becoming a CPA
• CPA Pipeline
• Leadership
• Texas State Board of Public Accountancy

For three decades, William Treacy has led the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy with one guiding principle: protect the public. His tenure reflects a career defined by integrity, public service and steady leadership in a rapidly changing profession.

• Producer Price Index (PPI)
• Section 301
• Tariff
• Tax
• Trade Deficit

Section 301 tariffs during President Trump’s first term were associated with reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China, though the overall deficit continued to grow. Data suggests tariffs shifted trade flows rather than curbing demand. For CPAs, these insights are key to assessing how renewed tariffs could impact trade patterns, costs and global tax planning.

By Yi Ren, Ph.D., CPA

• Client Advisory Services (CAS)
• Exit Planning
• Trusted Advisor

Exit planning is quickly becoming a high-impact advisory opportunity for CPAs. While many business owners know they will eventually exit, few are truly prepared, and CPAs are ideally positioned to close that gap through trusted relationships and financial insight.

By Daniel Hurtado, CPA, CMSBB

• Firm Management
• Leadership
• Practice Management
• Public Practice

As private equity reshapes the accounting landscape and traditional partnership models strain under talent shortages and succession challenges, strong governance has become the real differentiator. By replacing ad hoc decision-making with clear roles, accountability, performance metrics and disciplined planning, firms can turn chaos into clarity and intention into execution.

By Dan McMahon, CPA, CM&AA

• Company Culture
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Firm Culture
• Talent Management

This article dives into how Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) help firms build cultures that attract, engage and retain people by turning inclusion into action. Firms that invest in ERGs create workplaces where employees are more engaged, loyal and likely to thrive.

By Derrick Bonyuet, Ph.D., CPA, CFA, CFP

• Business and Industry
• Career
• Continuing Professional Education
• Leadership
• Learning
• Membership

In this edition of Take Note: 2026 Midyear Leadership Council and Members Meeting; Support Through the Accountants Confidential Assistance Network (ACAN); CGMA® Designation; 2026 CPE Programs; TXCPA’s Career Center

The Classifieds section offers a centralized resource for practice sales, buyers seeking to purchase firms and specialized services. It helps members efficiently connect with opportunities tailored to their professional needs.