Tax Season Is Upbeat for Area Preparers

Jack Zimmerman is enjoying the 1996 tax season.

That anyone could enjoy the tax season may seem unusual, but then, taxes are Zimmerman’s business.

“This year has been tremendous,” said Zimmerman, a tax preparer and owner of Tax Masters in Simi Valley. “We’ve been getting a lot of new referrals. A lot of people are changing preparers. Maybe because somebody charged them too much last year. Maybe they had to pay a lot in taxes last year.”

Although paying taxes is one of life’s few guarantees, Zimmerman, who has provided tax services in Simi Valley since 1969, said the tax business itself can fluctuate greatly.

“If there’s a very, very good economy, people don’t mind spending money to have their taxes done,” he said. “If the economy is bad, they try to do it themselves and save a couple of dollars.”

Mark Goldenson, a tax preparer in Ventura since 1984, said people also tend to do more with their money during economic upswings, thus creating a greater need for professional tax assistance.

“When the economy is growing, people are making more investments and getting into new businesses,” Goldenson said, “and that brings a demand for more tax preparation and planning.”

Although the economy may be improving, Goldenson said he has yet to notice the impact of that improvement on his business.

“When you’re doing tax work, you’re looking through the rear view mirror,” he said. “Indications that the economy is getting better are still not being seen in my clients.”

For John Jacobs of Jacobs and Jacobs Certified Public Accountants of Ojai, the 1996 tax season has been similar to the past several years.

“In the 1970s and 1980s, with the housing market up, we did a lot of tax-deferred exchanges, sales of residences, purchases of rentals,” he said. “Now we see a lot more job-hunting expenses, with people getting laid off.”

What differentiates this year from others, Jacobs said, is that the work has been a little less stressful.

“For us, it’s been an excellent season, partly because of the increased number of returns we are doing and partly because of faster computers,” he said. “Technology has made it easier for us.”

The federal government, Jacobs said, has also helped. “It makes the season easier,” he said, “when you don’t have to deal with tax law changes.”