'Temporary' Tax Provisions and Uncertainty : Evidence from a Survey of Professional Tax Preparers

We conduct a comprehensive survey that asks CPAs and other tax professionals to describe their opinions about the continuance of "temporary" provisions in the tax code. Our objective is to see if the multiple extensions of many of these temporary provisions have led CPAs to conclude that these provisions are permanent, and if their opinion on these provisions affects advice they give their clients. We find that professionals on average believe that many provisions will be temporarily extended, but few made permanent. This finding is the same before and after the election date (November 6 2012)