Vol. 14, No. 5 - April 11, 2008
440 Maple Avenue East, Suite 201, Vienna, VA
703-242-4670; Fax 703-242-4675
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Table of Contents
- Carbon Monoxide Response Standard Meeting
- Excellence Awards Update
- Is this YOU?
- Accelerated Depreciation Provision
- Protecting the Protection?
Carbon Monoxide Response Standard Meeting
The CSAA Standards Committee, responsible for the Carbon Monoxide Response Standard (CS-CO-01) will meet on Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00am at Alarm Detection Systems, 1111 Church Road, Aurora, Illinois. We anticipate that the meeting will conclude by 3:00pm.
The purpose of the meeting is to consider all proposals received as a result of the recent public comment phase. Along with the CSAA Carbon Monoxide committee members, all interested parties are welcome to attend.
Please RSVP to Louis Fiore at ltfiore@aol.com, telephone number 973-726-8300, by Friday, April 25 if you plan to attend.
CSAA is no longer accepting submissions for its Central Station Excellence Awards. We are pleased to announce that we have received the largest number of submissions since we started the program--a growth of 59% in the number of companies participating from last year.
If you have not received an e-mail notification from Celia Besore that CSAA received your submission, please contact her IMMEDIATELY at 703-242-4670, Ext. 16 or communications@csaaul.org.
We hope to see everyone in Nashville at the Excellence Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, June 25 at 8:00am. This event is a separate ticket function, not included in any registration packet. Tickets are $30 if you sign up by May 30; $40 if by June 24; and $50 if you purchase them on site. You must mark this event when you register to be able to get the tickets. Remember to indicate that you are a CSAA member to take advantage of the member discount.
Is this YOU?
Are you excited about the opportunity to win a free registration for the CSAA 2008 Annual Meeting in Cayman Islands while doing nothing but growing your association? Some of the best minds in the industry will be at the meeting. Like you, they will attend business meetings to learn best practices, learn which new products will enhance their market, and network with the leadership of the public safety organizations.
A free Annual Meeting registration will be awarded to the member bringing the most new members from now until noon Friday, June 27th. In addition for each new member you bring to CSAA, your name will be entered to win a $250.00 Visa gift card. Double your chances by bringing in two, triple your chances by bringing in three! Just think, a free 2008 Annual Meeting registration, cash, and more members to contribute to the wisdom of CSAA!!
The winners will be announced on June 27, 2008 at ESX. New membership applications MUST be received by noon Friday, June 27th to qualify in this campaign.
Go ahead … start jumping on the opportunity. They don’t happen often, and CSAA staff is eager to help you. Call Becky Lane directly at 703-242-4670x 18 for more information. We only have a few weeks left, so go ahead, loosen your tie, and step in. You will love the warm clear waters!
Accelerated Depreciation Provision
In Economics Stimulus Act Of 2007
Provides Incentives For Consumers To Purchase Alarm Systems
Source: The Carmen Group
On February 13, 2008, President George W. Bush signed a two-year, 168-billion-dollar economic stimulus package that provides a one-time tax rebate check to be mailed to tens of millions of Americans in coming months. In addition, The Economic Stimulus Act provides for tax breaks aimed at increasing investment in plant and equipment.
In order to help small businesses to quickly recover the cost of investment in equipment, Congress has provided enhanced write-offs for purchase of equipment including alarm systems. Small businesses (defined as business that invest less than $1.05 M in total capital expenditures-plant and equipment-a year) may elect to write-off the cost of these expenses in the year of acquisition in lieu of recovering costs over time through depreciation. Until the end of 2010, small business taxpayers will be allowed to write-off in one year up to $250,000 of capital expenditures, subject to a phase-out once capital expenditures exceed $800,000.
For 2008 only, the law provides any business with capital investments in excess of $1.05 Million with bonus depreciation equal to fifty percent of the cost of depreciable property that has a recovery period of less than 20 years. Property subject to the 20-year recovery period includes equipment such as alarms systems; computer software and lease hold improvements. Bonus depreciation allows a taxpayer to deduct not only the 50% bonus, but also the allocable portion of the remainder of what would be deducted over the depreciable life of the equipment. Thus a company that purchased a $1,000 piece of equipment in 2008 that had a 5 year depreciation life would be entitled to $500 in bonus depreciation plus 20% or in this case $100 of the remaining depreciable amount for a total deduction of $600 in 2008.
Finally, taxpayers will be entitled to rebate checks, of up to $600 for individual taxpayers and $1,200 for couples, plus $300 dollars for each dependent child. These rebate checks are designed to boost consumer spending. The checks will go to all taxpayers who file 2007 tax returns that show they earned at least $3,000. In addition, senior citizens who have income from combined Social Security earnings of $3,000 will be eligible as well as disabled individuals and veterans who have combined disability checks and earnings of $3,000.
Protecting the Protection?
By John G. Fischer, DGA Security Systems, Inc.
In last month’s article, we discussed Edwin Holmes and how he marketed his “burglar alarm telegraph” at the dawn of telecommunications. This month we will discuss how he protected his growing business and how he implemented a concept we know today as “central station.”
Read what happened after the end of the Civil War; about the battle between Holmes and the Metropolitan Burglar Alarm Company; and how Tiffany and Lord & Taylor were one of the first central station customers, by clicking here or visiting http://www.csaaul.org/BirthofCentralStationIdea.html