For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 16, Issue 3 • February 8, 2008 • New Tampa Neighborhood News - B 1

NEWS

NEW TAMPA

Your Source For New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Sports News & Wesley Chapel Business Listings

Volume 16, Issue 3

February 8, 2008

Section B

Inside:Local Sports, Home-Based

Business Listings &Updates On Our Area’s‘Teachers Of The Year!’

By Melissa O’Brien

Now that it is February, tax season hasbegun and unless you follow tax laws care-fully, it may be difficult for you to under-stand a number of modifications to the lawsthat could affect your tax return (see relatedstory on page 9). Last year, Congress made alot of last-minute changes to the tax codethat potentially can cause people to makeerrors or miss important deductions. Ifyou’re feeling overwhelmed at the thoughtof preparing you own tax return, or if youjust want to make certain you are getting themost benefit from all of the new tax laws,John S. Wood, CPA , P.A. (ProfessionalAssociation) can help.

“The tax laws change every year and it’stoo easy to overlook or not be aware ofdeductions or credits to which you are enti-tled,” says Wood, whose office is located inthe Palm Lake at Tampa Palms Office Build-ing on Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms. “Ontoo many occasions I have seen clients whohave failed to claim a deduction or take acredit that would have exceeded the fee tohave the return professionally prepared. Theaverage taxpayer can save not only time, butpotentially some money, by having their tax

return professionally prepared. They also canavoid a great deal of stress and gain somepeace of mind knowing that they are payingthe minimum legal amount in taxes.”

Wood’s full-service CPA firm offers taxpreparation services for individuals, business-es, trusts and estates and also concentrateson providing monthly accounting and taxservices to small- and medium-sized busi-nesses for a fixed monthly fee.

“We do more than just prepare the taxreturn,” says Wood. “We review the prioryear’s tax return and if it wasn’t prepared byus, we conduct an in-depth client interviewand take a look at the client’s entire tax pic-ture. A good tax plan can help avoid unnec-essary taxes.”

Included with all returns is a projectionfor the upcoming year and the firm also canprepare out-of-state returns. “We can alsoshow how various life events may affect nextyear’s tax return,” says Wood. “We focus onproviding our tax clients with the servicethey need. We don’t try to sell our clientsother services. If it becomes obvious that aclient needs guidance in financial planning,estate planning, or some other area, we canrefer them to experienced professionals inthose areas.”

Wood lives in New Tampa and has

Making Sense Of The Tax Code is New Tampa CPA’s Jobmore than 12 years experience as a CPA. Heattended the University of South Florida(USF) and graduated with a Bachelor of Sci-ence degree in accounting. He also receivedhis training for his CPA at USF.

Prior to establishing his practice, Woodwas employed for more than 10 years withOSI Restaurant Partners, Inc., the parentcompany of Outback Steakhouse andCarrabba’s Italian Grill. Wood served fiveyears as OSI’s assistant controller as thecompany grew and added concept newrestaurants such as Bonefish Grill, Lee RoySelmon’s, Roy’s and Fleming’s Steak House.

“I had the privilege of working for avery well run company and with someextremely talented business people,” saysWood. “However, I have always had anentrepreneurial spirit and wanted to own myown business. I have had my own firm since2006 and I enjoy passing along some of thelessons I learned at Outback to some of mysmall business clients.”

As an authorized IRS E-File provider,John S. Wood, CPA, PA also can help youget your refund faster. “We encourage all ofour clients to e-file,” says Wood. “The aver-age refund for an e-filed federal return isreceived within 10 days. The average refund

for a traditional return is 6-8 weeks. We arehere year-round to answer our clients’ ques-tions. It is a service available to all of our taxpreparation clients.”

The firm also provides small- and medi-um-sized businesses with monthly account-ing and tax services. The service includesmonthly financial statements, timely prepara-tion of all federal and state tax forms, unlim-ited discussions of a clients accounting andbusiness related questions and tax planning.It is available for a fixed monthly fee.

See “John Wood, CPA” on page 8.

Local CPA John S. Wood offers full-servicetax preparation, business tax and

accounting services.