Barbara Thomas, President and Founder, is a certified public accountant who began her career in state taxation in 1983 as an auditor for the State of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Within her capacity as an auditor, Barbara reviewed the operations of small, medium, and large companies from various industries for compliance with state tax rules. She served in Tax Policy division during her tenure with the Texas State Comptroller’s Office. In 1989, Barbara was hired by a Fortune 400 company whose primary business was in the construction industry. She managed all aspects of sales and use tax internal reviews. Barbara was successful in obtaining substantial tax credits for the company’s nationwide operations. She founded the professional firm of Barbara J. Thomas, CPA in 1993. The company was incorporated in 2001 as Thomas, Thomas & Thomas, P.C.
Education
Barbara earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in accounting from the University of Houston—Central Campus. She became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in 1984.
Affiliations
- Teaches tax seminars at the Associated General Contractors—Houston Chapter;
- Former board member of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy;
- Former chairperson of the Engineering and Construction Industry Conference hosted by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants;
- Former subcommittee chairperson of the State Taxation Committee;
- Former Treasurer of the Houston Women's Business Council (now known as Women's Business Enterprise Alliance);
- Awarded Houston Women’s Business Council Volunteer of the Year Award;
- Named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Accounting Advocate of the Year;
- Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants;
- Member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants;
- Member of the Institute of Professionals in Taxation; and
- Participates in the CEO Roundtable at the Greater Houston Partnership.
Representative Experience
- Retrieved over $110,000 for a taxpayer who inadvertently paid two different types of state tax on the same transactions;
- Recovered over $1,275,000 in tax overpayments for a restaurant chain;
- Retrieved over $875,000 in state tax overpayments for a manufacturer that occurred as a result of vendor billing errors and the accrual of tax on exempt items;
- Reduced an audit deficiency of $70,000 against a services firm that operates in several states to a no tax due audit;
- Recovered state tax credits that were over two times the amount of sales and use tax assessed by the state taxing authority for a restaurant;
- Reduced an audit deficiency by 14% while recovering tax credits over 5 times the amount assessed during the routine state tax audit of a manufacturer;
- Retrieved approximately $750,000 on behalf of a construction concern;
- Reduced an audit deficiency assessed by a state taxing authority against a construction concern by 32% and retrieved an additional 4% tax from subcontractors;
- Developed tax seminars for the University of Houston Small Business Development Center;
- Developed tax seminars for the Houston Association of General Contractors and continues to teach classes on sales and use taxes;
- Developed and taught an eight-hour seminar, " Texas Taxes for the Hospitality Industry©," for the CPE Foundation;
- Co-authored all books offered by Thomas, Thomas & Thomas, PC;
- Writes state tax articles that appear in the Member’s Edge©, an Associated General Contractors—Houston Chapter publication;
- Provides litigation support for state tax issues
