3) Capacity issues
When assessed with penalties, interest, and
costs, it’s not uncommon for a client to allege
that their CPA failed to deliver statutory filings
on time. To safeguard against such allegations,
public practitioners should ensure that they
have effective systems in place to follow up
on outstanding questions with clients and
properly track filing deadlines.
It’s also important for CPAs to limit their
services to their areas of greatest strength and
to avoid practising in areas of specialization
in which they lack sufficient expertise. Cer-
tain types of professional services—such as
specialized US tax services, for example, or
trust audits required by the Law Society of
British Columbia—require specialized knowl-
edge and/or experience. It’s important for
CPAs to know when they’ve crossed over to
a territory in which they lack the skill set or
knowledge base needed to render services to
clients effectively.
4) Concerns about objectivity and independence
CPABC also receives complaints from CPA clients who are involved in family or marital disputes.
A common mistake for members is to continue working for one of the feuding parties without
clarifying which services they will be providing and to whom. In such cases, it’s not unusual for
the other party to question the public practitioner’s professional objectivity. 1
5) Improper licensing and inadequate liability insurance
Each year, CPABC receives complaints about individuals who “dabble” in public practice without
the proper licensing or professional liability insurance. 2
CPAs must have a public practice licence from CPABC before they perform public accounting
or other regulated services for the public. The Public Practice section of the CPABC website
(bccpa.ca/regulatory/public-practice) provides members with all the information needed to
obtain the proper professional licensing.
This was discussed in greater detail in “When Clients Feud,” published in the November/
1
December 2016 issue of CPABC in Focus. (bccpa.ca/news-events-publications)
2
This was discussed in greater detail in “Dabbling in Public Practice without a Licence: It Can
Cost You,” published in the July/August 2016 issue of CPABC in Focus. (bccpa.ca/news-
events-publications)
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CPABC in Focus • July/August 2018 37