Thursday’s General Session

Activities related to National Payroll Week are listed as 10 of the top 100 accomplishments the American Payroll Association has achieved in the past year, Dan Maddux, executive director of APA, told the audience attending Thursday’s General Session at APA’s 21st Annual Congress. Much of what was accomplished related to getting the word out about NPW and the critical role of payroll in America’s economy.

BNA has been a proud sponsor of NPW since its inception in 1996.

Later in the session, the Canadian Payroll Association’s Chairman, Patti Rogers, noted that the CPA is celebrating its 25th anniversary—“25 years of pioneering a profession that at one time was unnoticed.” CPA’s membership represents three quarters of the payrolls processed in Canada, she said. The Canadian government “seeks advice from us before making legislative changes affecting payroll,” Rogers said. This is a long way from 25 years ago, when payroll was still “very much a manual process.” Rogers closed with a reminder to the audience that payroll “is a profession, not just a task.”

Acting Commissioner for Internal Revenue Bob Wenzel also addressed the session. He said that the Internal Revenue Service “really does have the best interest of its customers in mind,” and noted that the APA and IRS have similar goals. IRS and APA both seek to provide world-class service, striving to be the best in the world.

Wenzel said that he sees the “service” and “enforcement” aspects of the agency as complementary—the two functions are not provided at the expense of one or the other. He noted that although he is stepping down soon from his post, IRS will continue to listen to the payroll industry’s concerns.

APA then paid a special tribute to Norman Goldstein, former Senior Financial Executive for the Social Security Administration. Goldstein was instrumental in setting up employer-specific communication and processes while at SSA. He retired earlier this year.

By Michael Baer, CPP