Firms in the architecture, engineering, planning (A/E/P) and environmental consulting sphere are joining the national chorus of opposition to a provision that would significantly boost tax-reporting requirements, adding an undue burden on smaller businesses.

The rule — included in the national health care overhaul — would require businesses to submit a 1099 form to the Internal Revenue Service for any purchases over $600, starting in 2012. While efforts mount in Washington, D.C., to repeal the rule, those in the A/E/P and environmental consulting fields also are speaking out, according to a report in a recent edition of The Zweig Letter, a weekly management journal published by ZweigWhite.