The UMass Tax School for Practitioners is an IRS approved educational entity, and a member of the Land Grant University Tax Education Foundation, Inc. (LGUTEF) a non-profit corporation organized by representatives of land grant universities around the country. Our program utilizes the National Income Tax Workbook (written and annually updated by LGUTEF) used at similar tax schools in more than 30 states for over 30,000 tax professionals.
Two-day income tax workshops providing updates to the latest tax laws and regulations are held annually in November throughout Massachusetts, and are intended for Certified Public Accountants, Enrolled Agents, and Registered Tax Return Preparers. A typical participant will have had several years’ experience in completing individual, small business and partnership returns and will complete 200 or more returns in a year. Workshops are conducted by professional instructors who have extensive tax experience and are offered in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Credits
Classes are for Continuing Education credits by the IRS. Participants can earn up to 16 CPE credits:
- 12 CE Federal Tax Law
- 3 CE Federal Tax Update
- 1 CE Massachusetts update
There will be a complimentary 2 CE Ethics for those who registered for the online or in-person programs. Ethics is offered as a 2-hour online session and is for IRS requirements ONLY.
Instructors
We are happy to announce that we are partnering with Cornell University to offer you the best quality continuing education for tax professionals.
Joseph Baldwin, E.A.
Joe Baldwin is the Director of Training for Farm Credit East, ACA. In addition to training the next generation of farm tax advisors, Joe has worked for over 15 years with some of the most complex tax situations arising throughout Northeast Agriculture. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Bucknell University, a Master's degree in Business Administration from UMass, and a Master's degree in taxation from Northeastern University. In addition to his involvement with the Farm Credit internal training program, Joe has also lectured through the Cornell Income Tax Conferences, the Farm Financials Standards Council, and the NY Society of Enrolled Agents.
Dario Arezzo, J.D., LL.M., CFP
Dario Arezzo is the Director of the Cornell Tax Conferences. He specializes in tax consulting, research, planning and compliance for both individuals and businesses. Dario has a quarterly column titled Arezzo on Agriculture pubnlished in the prominent national tax publication State Tax Notes. Dario also authors the Cornell Income Tax Conferences' New York State tax manual. Dario holds a B.S. from Cornell University, J.D. from Albany Law School and a LL.M. from New York University.
Norm Provvidenza, CPA
Norm Provvidenza is a Tax Director with CBIZ. As one of the nation's largest brokers of employee benefits and property and casualty insurance, and one of the largest accounting and valuation companies in the United States, the Company's services are provided through nearly 100 Company offices in 32 states. He has over 30 years of tax and attest experience working with owners and management of closely held businesses. His expertise is in many industries including construction, manufacturing, agribusiness, real estate, retail and medical professionals. Norm has been instructing at the Cornell Tax Conferences for over a decade.
Massachusetts Update Speakers - Department of Revenue
Mireille Eastman, J.D.
Mireille Eastman is the Taxpayer Advocate at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR). Previously, she was an attorney in the Rulings & Regulations Bureau, and before that she was an attorney in the Litigation Bureau. She is the primary author of several state tax regulations and numerous administrative pronouncements, and has litigated or co-litigated several high-profile DOR cases. In 2020, she was awarded the DOR Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance. In 2017, she was awarded the Manuel Carballo Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Service for her work on the Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Service for her work on the Governor's Regulatory Review Project Team. She was also awarded the DOR Performance Recognition Award for her work on the Language Access team (2023) and the DOR Pilot Mediation Program (2013). Ms. Eastman briefly worked in private practice before joining DOR and holds an undergraduate degree from Hunter College and a law degree from Boston University School of Law.
Brian Lynch
Brian Lynch has been with DOR for 35 years and is one of the Agency's principal liaisons for its external stakeholders. As tax practitioners throughout the state prepare for filing season each year, Brian provides them with an update on administrative procedure and tax developments. Brian also represents the Department at external speaking engagements on a variety of topics. He specializes in training the Department's new hires and is also a certified CPR instructor.