Barry R Steiner, CPA

I’ve been going to Barry for years. He is the best at making sure not a single dollar gets away. He explains what he is doing and makes sure that your return is accurate, honest, and prompt. Filing via the male is annoying but it is what it is.

What CPA who use to work for the IRS would:
A) Intentionally withhold from you the fact that he was not filing your taxes electronically and have you sign a release stating that it was YOUR desire to have them filed on paper AND
B) Have you claim dollar amounts for property taxes not paid in the year 2010?
I found Mr. Steiners’s practices to be very deceptive and unethical. I went to him for two reasons: I had questions regarding withdrawal of pre-​paid college funds and the tax consequences associated with that, and to do my taxes. Twenty minutes after stepping foot into his office I was dismissed, with my questions unanswered, Two days later, I received my tax packet in the mail. Attached to the «all on paper» federal and state return, was a release that I was told to sign which stated that I REQUESTED for my taxes to be filed on paper. I called to inquire as to why my taxes were not being filed electronically and why I was not informed of such. At 7:00am Saturday morning he returned my call, (because «his day starts early») saying there was a glich in his system and that I could file them electronically myself. And I am paying him $ 200.00 to do what??? In addition, it is a known fact that you are more likely to be audited if you file on paper and you wait 3 – 5 weeks longer for your refund.
He also included $ 2000.00 of property taxes that were not paid in 2010 (the mortgage company screwed up and did not pay them until 2011). Now, maybe he thinks that is OK because those taxes were due in 2010 but they were not paid. I did not want to be put in a situation where my returns could potentially be audited.
Maybe Mr. Steiner thinks he is one-​up on everyone else because he worked for the IRS and knows what you can and cannot get away with when filing your returns. But I was not comfortable with his attitude or, what I felt, were deceptive practices and failure to disclose.