TaxConnex

MARCH 5, 2024

The non-fungible token (NFT) remains a sizzling commodity. These digitized assets denote ownership of such collectibles as sports cards and artwork, even designer digital footwear. Two signs of the size of the sizzle: The online NFT platform OpenSea claims to be worth more than $13 billion. Some NFTs alone on OpenSea have sold for millions and in recent years the average sales price of an NFT (an admittedly volatile commodity) jumped from about $150 to $4,000.

Sales 147

Sales Tax Wisconsin Minnesota 147

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Your sales tax obligations depend on knowledge and that knowledge often resides in a professional tax specialist (usually an accountant) who helps your company meet its sales tax obligations. This is a complicated time for sales tax obligations – and a terrible time to try to hire an accountant. Accounting is beset by a triple threat: a looming wave of retirement, a lingering great resignation of younger professionals and a talent pipeline of new graduates that’s slowing to a trickle.

Sales 220

Sales Tax Account accountant 220

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Not long ago, clicking a computer mouse to buy something was an idea of science fiction. Today, of course, e-commerce is how a significant amount of shopping takes place in general. Capital One reports that global e-commerce retail sales will hit some $6.91 trillion this year, up 9.5% from total e-commerce retail sales in 2023. Projections indicate that value will increase to $8.03 trillion in 2027.

E-commerce 196

E-commerce West Virginia Kansas Virginia 196

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

There’s always something changing in the world of tax, especially sales tax. Here’s a review of some of the recent changes and updates. B&O responsibility: A Washington State appellate court has found two sellers responsible for sales tax and business and occupation (B&O) tax on sales made through Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program.

Sales 190

Sales Tax Illinois Washington 190

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

To help financial leaders better understand what their peers are doing when it comes to sales and use tax in 2024, TaxConnex® conducted its fourth annual sales tax survey in November of 2023. More than 100 financial leaders from different industries and from a wide range of sizes responded. Their responses are included in the following blog. For the vast majority of organizations, managing the minutia of sales tax obligations can be described as clunky, cumbersome, and risky, with each state hav

Sales 207

Sales Tax audit CPA 207

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Sales tax compliance depends on many factors. One of the most important – and the most incessantly changing – is the tax rates that America’s thousands of jurisdictions impose. These rates change all the time – if not the actual percentage, then the exemptions and other special rules that can seem nothing short of picayune for a business just trying to stay on the right side of sales tax laws.

Sales 191

Sales Tax South Dakota Kentucky 191

TaxConnex

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Sales tax is not something top of mind for most executives, but it is something that the majority of businesses will have to manage at some level. No matter the size of your business, if you are selling a taxable product or service and establish nexus in specific states or jurisdictions, then you have a sales tax obligation. While it is not meant to be a burden on the seller, many businesses have been left scrambling to understand how to manage the complex process of sales tax compliance.

Sales 214

Sales Tax Technology auditor 214

TaxConnex

JANUARY 25, 2024

Clients often ask us, “How often should we evaluate the taxability of our products?” An annual review should work. Most states change their sales tax rate laws on either Jan. 1 or July 1, by the calendar year or by the fiscal year. But there are more than 10,000 jurisdictions in the U.S., and a ton of local jurisdictions with the authority from their states to change their individual tax rates.

Utah 181

Utah Kentucky Alabama Michigan 181

TaxConnex

JANUARY 23, 2024

Sales and use tax generally applies to the sale or use of tangible personal property and certain services. Since software, and especially Software-as-a-Service, may not be delivered in a tangible form, many technology and software companies have considered themselves exempt from sales and use tax. But this is not always the case. In fact, many states impose sales and use tax on services provided by the technology industry.

Sales 188

Sales Tax Washington Technology 188

TaxConnex

JANUARY 18, 2024

What’s the latest brewing today in sales tax? A lot, spanning many hot topics – and if you can believe it, not all the news is bad. Take economic nexus thresholds. It’s pushing six years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision largely opened sesame for states to begin economic enforcing nexus thresholds. Physical nexus standards – such as having offices, staff or inventory in a state – had long mandated that retailers had to collect and remit a state’s sales tax.

South Dakota 203

South Dakota Louisiana Colorado Alaska 203

TaxConnex

JANUARY 16, 2024

Do you sell software-as-a-service (SaaS)? Then you already have one of the most complicated situations in sales tax. Your tax obligation and liability begin with where you have nexus , the connection between your company and a taxing authority or jurisdiction. Sales tax nexus was once defined only as a substantial physical presence, but for nearly six years – ever since the Supreme Court’s Wayfair ruling in 2018 – sales tax nexus can also be defined as an economic presence by just selling enough

Iowa 206

Iowa Connecticut Maryland Colorado 206

TaxConnex

JANUARY 9, 2024

We are excited to announce the completion of our fourth annual sales tax survey. This year’s results provided insights into how businesses are managing the complexities of sales tax and how they are being impacted by economic and regulatory structures. The nationwide survey, conducted by In90Group in November of 2023, is composed of responses from 100 top finance professionals in a variety of industries regarding their thoughts and experiences in managing sales tax.

Sales 223

Sales Tax audit Education 223

TaxConnex

JANUARY 2, 2024

Is one of your new year’s resolutions to make sure you’re complying with sales tax in 2024? If you’ve determined nexus to exist for your business and understand that your products or services are taxable, but you’ve yet to comply to sales & use tax rules. You could be at risk for heavy penalty and fees depending on your sales tax exposure. How do you estimate your exposure, how do you rectify it and move forward to compliance?

Sales 227

Sales Tax financial statements audit 227

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 28, 2023

The new year will no doubt be another active one in sales tax. Let’s look at a few of the likeliest developments. Weaker state revenue The kind of year it’s going to be for state coffers could greatly influence such future sales tax trends as new levies, tougher nexus thresholds and intensifying audits. If so, watch out for 2024. “With more fiscal data coming in, the long-term health of state budgets looks murky,” writes analyst Lucy Dadayan on the site of the Tax Policy Center.

South Dakota 222

South Dakota Sales Tax Louisiana 222

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 21, 2023

It’s the end of the year and as we all start to think about our New Year’s resolutions, it’s also a good time to start thinking about correcting any sales tax missteps your business may be facing. Maybe you’ve just figured out that you have nexus and were non-compliant without realizing it, or maybe you’ve been rolling the dice and crossing your fingers you won’t get audited but your liability is growing and you’re ready to make a change – no matter your situation, if you have established nexus,

Sales 220

Sales Tax audit tax accountant 220

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 19, 2023

This blog is an excerpt from our eBook with The CommLaw Group. As a communications company, you face some of the most complex tax and regulatory rules of any industry. Whether you run an established business or you’re thinking about entering the VoIP, UCaaS, or other telecom market, it is important to understand your compliance obligations. Just as important … you need to comply while keeping your price competitive.

Tax 147

Tax audit Government Account 147

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 14, 2023

In sales tax calculation, you deal with the “hard” and the “less-hard.” Figuring out sales tax obligations for goods (aka, tangible personal property, or TPP) is the less-hard part; you merely have to bear in mind that every state that taxes TPP does it a little differently. Services, on the other hand, are the hard calculation. Not every state taxes services not every state taxes the same ones, and those that do tax services do so in a galaxy of ways.

West Virginia 207

West Virginia Virginia Kentucky Minnesota 207

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Business truism has it that limited liability corporations and similar entities shield the personal property and assets of their owners and major shareholders from company bills and missteps. That’s true for many of the fiscal messes that can befall a company. But not for sales tax liability, where most states still maintain strong responsible party laws.

Sales 194

Sales Tax Ohio Georgia 194

TaxConnex

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Clubs and dues have been around for decades, but the rise of certain memberships – and the ability to sell them over the internet – have also raised the question of whether memberships incur sales tax. Ecommerce can involve many different types of memberships, often offering access to discounts or other benefits perceived as exclusive. Gym and fitness chains and warehouse retailers, for example, use the internet to sell memberships to their franchised businesses all over the country.

South Carolina 206

South Carolina Sales Tax West Virginia 206

TaxConnex

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Blog authored by Scott Schwertner, National Director of Sales and Use Tax for Invoke Tax Partners. With extensive experience in both the industry and sales tax consulting side, Invoke Tax Partners National Director of Sales and Use Tax, Scott Schwertner, knows how difficult it can be for businesses to get sales tax right on every transaction. It is common for businesses across the United States to pay sales tax and accrue use tax on purchases that are not taxable, resulting in an unnecessary hit

Sales 174

Sales Tax accounts payable tax consultant 174

TaxConnex

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

In the world of accounting and tax, CPAs, accounting firms, and advisory firms play a vital role in helping individuals and businesses manage their finances and stay within the rules. But one tricky area that often causes headaches is sales and use tax. Whether you’re managing sales and use tax for your clients or not, you've most likely come across situations where your clients want to sell their businesses, secure outside capital, or ensure they’re not at risk from previous exposure.

cpas 147

cpas Sales Tax audit 147

TaxConnex

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

Exactly how long will it take you to set up a process to evaluate and comply with your sales tax obligations? Depends on your business and where you are in your sales tax journey. It could take as little as a month or so or up to six months (or more). Here’s the first part of a general overview of your prospective timeline for creating a sales tax process for your company – and we stress that the only certainty beforehand is that you should start sooner rather than later.

Sales 147

Sales Tax Missouri Start-ups 147

TaxConnex

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Hard to believe if you’ve ever dealt with sales tax jurisdictions, but they will actually give you a break on paying your sales tax in the form of vendor compensations and discounts. These discounts can also add up for large businesses that pay a great deal in sales tax every month to states where they have nexus , sometimes even more than paying for the services these companies use for sales tax compliance.

South Carolina 147

South Carolina Colorado Pennsylvania Kentucky 147

TaxConnex

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

October 15 th ended the last major income tax due dates in 2023. Most CPAs use the fourth quarter of the year for audit and tax planning for clients, strategic planning for the firm and of course, CPE. (Look out for our December webinar for an additional CPE credit!)  As you are contemplating your clients’ needs and identifying tax planning for them, don’t forget about sales tax planning as well.

Sales 194

Sales Tax income tax tax planning 194

TaxConnex

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Adding a new product is great, new revenue streams are wonderful. Just don’t let sales tax turn the situation into a nightmare. Think “nightmare” is too strong? Consider: Your new product is not taxed but should have been. In the first year, your sales total is $100,000 (the economic nexus threshold in many states) and grows 20% annually over the next three years, for a total of $364,000 in sales.

Sales 147

Sales Tax Alaska Colorado 147

TaxConnex

OCTOBER 24, 2023

“Scary” has five letters. Know what word in sales tax also has five letters? “Audit.” Few issues in the area of tax are more terrifying than this kind of exam from a tax authority. Our third annual survey of financial professionals showed that although most companies (67%) reported that state sales tax audits have remained at the same level over the past two years, almost one in four respondents (23%) said they expect such audits to increase in coming months.

audit 147

audit Sales Tax auditor 147

TaxConnex

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Often as things change in sales tax – and they change often – one constant keeps lurching along. Tax jurisdictions love to send notices, and usually it’s to say “Boo!” and not just “Hi.” True, notices can simply be a way for tax jurisdictions to get in touch with you and require no fast action on your part. The scary-looking official piece of paper (if it even arrives on paper – many notices are electronic now) might only be informing you of something as routine as use of a new form or a reminde

Sales 147

Sales Tax audit Finance 147

TaxConnex

OCTOBER 12, 2023

The past two years have seen nearly 46,000 M&As in the United States. It's clear that nothing can boost a business like the right merger or acquisition. Yet many of these deals tank: as many as 70% to 90%, Harvard Business School has reported. And one thing that can pound a stake through the heart of a promising M&A is unearthing past tax liability during due diligence.

Sales 113

Sales Tax audit tax return 113

TaxConnex

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

You’ve learned what states you have nexus in and you know where your products/services are taxable. Now it’s time to register with the states to collect and remit sales tax. Where to begin? You complete your sales tax registrations and file them with the departments of revenue or taxation in each state. These registrations are called sales tax permits, sometimes licenses.

Sales 147

Sales Tax West Virginia North Dakota 147

TaxConnex

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

The short answer: Maybe not. Let’s look at a few factors that could make relying solely on an eCommerce platform for your compliance risky for your company. A complex environment Economic nexus. The 2018 Supreme Court decision in South Dakota vs. Wayfair opened the floodgates for economic nexus throughout the U.S. In almost all states now, any derived revenue for your company will create nexus for the company making that revenue ($100,000 revenue or 200 transactions in a year, for instance).

Sales 202

Sales Tax South Dakota Colorado 202

TaxConnex

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Telecommunications companies face tougher problems than most other businesses when trying to comply with federal, state and local tax and regulatory obligations. Most of the taxes that telecom companies contend with are administered by the individual states’ Departments of Revenue (DOR) and local jurisdictions. These taxes go by various names: sales tax, communications services tax, utility users’ tax, local license tax and so on.

Tax 147

Tax Maryland Pennsylvania Florida 147

TaxConnex

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

TaxConnex is excited to announce that we have launched a new app for Shopify users to easily pull data out of Shopify for a better returns filing process. The new app, eConnex, gives Shopify users a simple way to get their sales tax data out of Shopify and upload it into TaxConnex's  Client Connexion  for easy returns filing. As an outsourced sales tax department for businesses with a sales tax obligation, TaxConnex removes the burden of sales and use tax returns filing by completely managing it

tax return 147

tax return Sales Tax tax consultant 147

TaxConnex

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

Nonprofits are often thought to be exempt from sales taxes, but is that correct? According to Statista , there are almost 750,000 public charities in the U.S. (most devoted to religion, human services and education). Other stats say more than 2 million charities exist that are tax-exempt according to Internal Revenue Service rules. And just like any other major sector of society, such entities consume large amounts of tangible personal property.

Sales 147

Sales Tax Non-Profits North Carolina 147

TaxConnex

AUGUST 31, 2023

Online selling of products and services triggers sales tax obligations today like never before – and has ever since the Supreme Court’s 2018 Wayfair decision unleashed economic nexus on e-commerce merchants nationwide. Since, every state with a statewide sales tax (and countless localities, especially in places like California and Alaska ) has enacted economic nexus laws, meaning e-commerce vendors of products and, increasingly, services must collect and remit sales tax and file sales tax return

Sales 229

Sales E-commerce Tax Alaska 229

TaxConnex

AUGUST 29, 2023

Online selling of products and services has always been in the vanguard of sales tax obligations. The situation has only gotten more complicated in the five years since the Supreme Court unleashed economic nexus with the Wayfair decision. Since, every state with a statewide sales tax (and countless localities, especially in places like California and Alaska ) has enacted economic nexus laws, meaning e-commerce vendors of products and, increasingly, services must collect and remit sales tax and f

Sales 130

Sales E-commerce Tax Manufacturing 130

TaxConnex

AUGUST 17, 2023

When it comes to sales tax, “manufacturing” is often defined as a physical application of materials and labor to change the characteristics of tangible personal property (TPP). Seems clear, but what about your tax obligations and exemptions? Every state has nuances on how sales tax applies to the manufacturing process, equipment and materials. These gray areas can create big exposure for your business.

Manufacturing 130

Manufacturing Sales Tax Vermont 130

TaxConnex

AUGUST 15, 2023

There’s always something changing in the world of tax, especially sales tax. Here’s a review of some of the recent changes and updates. Midyear sales tax. The Tax Foundation released its “State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2023” report of the 45 states (and the District of Columbia) that collect statewide sales taxes and the 38 states where local sales taxes are collected.

Sales 130

Sales Tax Alabama Texas 130