A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

By Eli Mason, CPA

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for the members of an organization to renounce the leadership of such organization for their usurpation of authority, for their self-serving actions, and for their breach of integrity of a once proud institution. Such has been the patient sufferance of the members and such is now the necessity to constrain and to alter their misguided system of governance.

They have initiated a history of repeated injuries and established an irresponsible bureaucracy. To prove this, let the facts be submitted to fair-minded individuals.

They have transferred millions of dollars of service revenues from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a not-for-profit organization, to CPA 2BIZ, a new for-profit commercial corporation, in which the President-CEO of the Institute is a shareholder and has a financial interest.

They have refused to disclose to the members the financial arrangements whereby the President-CEO and other persons of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have purchased shares in CPA 2BIZ, a for-profit corporation, which may in the future result in profits to such individuals.

They have permitted the President-CEO of the Institute who under Institute Bylaws “shall be a full-time employee of the Institute” to act as Chairman of CPA2BIZ with such attendant duties and responsibilities.

They have expended and continue to expend millions of Institute dollars to promote an international credential to include non-CPAs which they had entitled “XYZ” and “Cognitor..” The Charter of the Institute describes the objects of the organization as “to unite the accountancy profession of the United States of America; to safeguard the interests of public accountants; to advance the science of accountancy and to encourage cordial intercourse among accountants practicing in the United States.”

They have violated the Bylaws of the Institute which state, ‘its objective shall be to unite certified public accountants in the United States, to promote the interests of CPAs and to encourage cordial relations between CPAs and professional accountants in other countries.” Nowhere in the Charter or Bylaws of the American Institute of Certdied Public Accountants is there authority to establish an organization to include non-CPA persons who practice other professions or other occupations.

They have provided personnel, facilities and funds from the Institute to promote XYZ and to finance CPA2BIZ without the consent of the members.

The accountancy profession in the United States has always been a proud and dedicated assembly and the current leadership of the Institute has exceeded its authority and jurisdiction.

For all these reasons, the current leadership of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is hereby directed to conform to the Charter and to the Bylaws of the Institute, and to serve the interests of the accountancy profession in the United States, and to cease and desist their ill-advised efforts to promote a non-CPA international credential and a for-profit CPA2BIZ with the potential conflicts of interest as set forth herein.

Eli Mason has been a member of the AICPA for over

50 years. He has served on Institute Council for

nine years, as Institute Vice President, and as

Chairman and member of numerous Institute Committees.

He received the American Accounting Association ‘s

Accounting Exemplar Award during August 2001.