by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
For as long as Ed Jackson can remember, the weeks and days leading up to April 15 have been a very busy time of the year. He grew up working in the company his father, Ned Jackson, founded in Jacksonville in 1946 to provide tax preparation and bookkeeping services. Now there are four offices and every one has been a buzz of activity recently.
Even with computer software, electronic filing and other changes, one thing hasn’t changed in more than 60 years — many people still wait until the last minute to complete their tax forms each year.
“April 14th is always the busiest day and we always knew we wouldn’t be going home before midnight,” said Jackson on April 14. “Dad wouldn’t let me prepare tax returns until I was 18 years old, but I remember helping out in the office. I always wore tennis shoes because the tax preparers didn’t get up from their desks for anything except a restroom break, so I brought them more tax forms or carbon paper or even food when they would call out for them.”
Ed Jackson is also an attorney and Board Certified in the area of consumer bankruptcy law. The tax service and law office share the first floor of a building at 255 N. Liberty St. that was originally the offices of the Otis Elevator Company. Jackson has collected quite a bit of Jacksonville and family history and displays much of it in the offices.
The family business concept can be found everywhere at Ned Jackson, Inc. Sadie Brown has been preparing taxes for the company for more than 40 years and works alongside her son, Brian Brown, and granddaughter, Katrina Foures.
A second-generation tax preparer himself, Jackson said he’s looking forward to when the third generation of Jacksons takes over the family business. He said he hopes that will happen in a few years when his son, David, and daughter, Stephanie, graduate from Florida State University.
Photos by Max Marbut