I’m reading a book, Strategy That Works by  Paul Leinwand and Cesare R. Mainardi ], because, of course, that’s what you do when you are semi-retired.  As I read, I reflected on how strategy at most utility companies is directed at becoming more efficient and more effective operationally while finding a way to otherwise reduce costs to offset continuing customer rate pressure.  The tax department’s role today generally has 2 components both related to cost savings: (1) deliver tax savings that lower tax expense for the company or tax costs recoverable in rates, and (2) deliver costs savings from operating more efficiently.

ASC 740, or Accounting Standards Codification 740, governs how companies report income taxes in their financial statements. For utility companies, complying with ASC 740 presents unique challenges due to the industry's complex regulatory environment and the intricate nature of tax provisions, deferred taxes, and rate-regulated accounting practices. Mastering ASC 740 is essential for ensuring accurate financial reporting, mitigating risk, and satisfying both regulatory and audit requirements.

A significant trend has emerged in the utility landscape that demands attention and adaptation: the age of its workforce. The average age of employees in the industry consistently surpasses the national average. As veteran workers approach retirement, rate-regulated utilities are being prompted with both challenges and opportunities. As utilities confront their own business processes and explore the next generation of software solutions, Lucasys stands as an industry leader.

Depreciation tracking can be a challenging task for rate-regulated utilities that have to comply with strict accounting standards, so Lucasys Depreciation was specifically designed to make the process more intuitive and user-friendly. One of the key benefits of Lucasys Depreciation is its incredible ease of use. New members of a team can immediately access advanced tools without the need for extensive training, allowing accounting and tax departments to quickly adapt to changes in resource planning. Whether you’re a seasoned accountant or tax professional, or someone just starting out in the field, Lucasys Depreciation can simplify the process of tracking depreciation and make your work more efficient.

The IRS has issued a new revenue procedure, Rev. Proc. 2023-15, providing a safe harbor method of accounting for natural gas transmission and distribution property repairs, maintenance, replacements, and improvements. This new method allows taxpayers to classify these costs as either capital or deductible expenditures, providing clear and bright-line rules to reduce the burden of compliance.

Lucasys provides peerless expertise in managing deferred tax assets for rate-regulated utilities and works closely with its customers to incorporate their feedback into product development.

In late March 2023, President Biden proposed a federal budget for fiscal year 2024 that will increase government spending in new infrastructure, education, healthcare, and climate change initiatives. To fund the investments, the Biden administration has proposed several tax reforms that will have important implications for corporations. Specifically, the proposed increase in the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28% will have a significant impact on rate-regulated utilities

On October 15, the IRS issued PLR 202141001 for regulated electric utilities. In its ruling, the IRS reiterated earlier assertions that the net deferred tax asset (DTA) related to the cost of removal (COR) is not subject to normalization, but also added clarification that the deferred tax liability (DTL) and DTA from the salvage value is subject to normalization rules.

Specifics for the “Build Back Better“ (BBB) reconciliation legislation have finally begun to emerge amid contentious intra-party debates within the Democratic caucus. The massive bill encompasses large portions of the Biden domestic political agenda, and debate is ongoing in Congress on the final scope of the bill and how its initiatives will be paid for.

Smart meters are an important technology for the modern electric power industry and are revolutionizing the way customers interface with energy grids. By enabling rapid two-way communications between electric companies and their customers, smart meters provide new and expanded services and enhance energy grid resiliency and operations.

Utilities are bracing for a digital revolution, though according to a recent report most executives in the sector agree that their businesses are not prepared for it.

In the Digital Transformation and the Workforce Survey commissioned by EY Power & Utilities, nearly 90% of executives report having too few digitally savvy workers is frustrating their ability to adopt digital technologies. Not only is the problem of an insufficient workforce staring them in the face, by most of the respondents surveyed are lacking a plan on how to proceed. With near-universal agreement (94%) on the need for direct investment in technology and the workforce, utilities are soon to be left scrambling for solutions. The transformation of the power industry will be based on technology, but it will be driven by people.

Tax basis balance sheets (“TBBS”) are a foundational part of any tax department’s controls. While invaluable for supporting tax positions for financial reporting, without proper maintenance these critical workpapers can quickly develop inaccuracies. More and more utilities are finding that their tax basis balance sheet controls are insufficient, and without proper automation, this can lead to an immense and recurring manual effort for tax departments looking to preserve reliable tax accounting records.

In March, the Biden administration unveiled a $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan which included many proposals that specifically target the energy industry, including expanded renewable energy tax credits, mandates for utility system modernization, and transitioning the power sector to emissions-free electricity by 2035. Congressional Republicans responded by releasing a $568 billion counter-proposal which included a more limited scope of what qualifies as infrastructure. Since that time Biden has offered to cut his plan to $1.7 trillion, and Republicans have countered again with second counter-proposal of $928B.

The average consumer notices their power consumption two times: when their lights go out and when they are paying their bill. The rest of the time, electric customers generally do not think about the role electricity plays in their day-to-day life or just how much electricity they use on any given day.

Part of the reason that power consumption is not thought about much is that it can be difficult to conceptualize, especially given some of the unique terminology. To help understand power consumption, the following infographics provide a comparative analysis of electricity use.

In February, a massive winter storm led to a power outage in Texas that left more than 4.3 million households, around one third of the state’s electricity customers, without power for several days amid freezing weather. Over 46 gigawatts of power capacity went offline under the extreme cold weather event, resulting in broad-based failure of the power grid. The energy outages also affected the state’s water services, either making tap water unsuitable for drinking or stopping the supply altogether.

If your business is using software with a poorly designed user interface, how much is it costing your bottom line? Perhaps a significant portion of your team’s hours are spent navigating confusing systems, time that would have otherwise been spent on productive projects. Perhaps your team is unable to navigate the systems themselves, necessitating the expense of external technical consultants. The multinational financial services group Citibank recently made an accidental payout of nearly $900M as a result of bad software design. How much do you stand to lose as a result of the usability of your software?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued several private letter rulings (PLR) in recent months clarifying the relationship between solar power generation equipment and public utility companies. The main focus is defining whether or not generation equipment with energy pricing based on monthly fees can be treated as public utility property. The designation of generation equipment as public utility property has several important implications, all of which impact how utilities treat the property for tax purposes.

Cloud computing has applications in a wide array of industries, but utilities in particular are well-suited to reap the massive benefits of the cloud. The unique IT requirements of large, regulated organizations managing critical infrastructure are incredibly complex and notoriously difficult to manage. Only through leveraging the cloud can forward-thinking utilities stay on the cutting edge of technological advancement.

Many industries are leveraging the power of cloud computing to revolutionize their processes, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the need for software solutions that can be accessed remotely. Businesses are transitioning to more comprehensive digital processes with cloud solutions at their core.

The 117th United States Congress is now set following two runoff elections in Georgia which have given the Democratic party control over 50 seats in the Senate and the tie-breaking vote through Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. With control of both chambers of Congress and the Presidency, Democrats are now poised to pursue more ambitious policy changes, including a proposed increase to the corporate tax rate.