Departments and Columns

Tax, Tech, and Talent

Digital transformation of the corporate tax department promises significant return on investment—cost reduction, risk mitigation, and data-driven insights that grow revenue and profitability. In our 2020 Corporate Tax Departments Survey, Acritas, a Thomson Reuters company, and the Thomson Reuters Institute interviewed leaders of tax departments at twenty-three large US-based companies… Read more »

Tax Technology, Transformation in 2020

“The tax function of tomorrow must master data intelligence.” That’s how EY identified an “intelligent tax function” in its 2020 Global Tax Technology and Transformation Survey report. To keep pace with today’s ever-evolving demands, it’s essential for tax departments everywhere to bridge the gap between data and technology, and this… Read more »

Larry Pociask

Tax is sometimes viewed as an amalgam of social, political, and economic influences. And it was precisely that combination that galvanized Larry Pociask’s interest in tax as a profession: “My interest in tax started with a great professor at Michigan State, Ed Outslay, who found a way to weave politics,… Read more »

Emerging Leader: Karin Li

Is there a connection between tax and math? To Karin Li, there certainly is. During her MBA studies, her professor assigned her a research project related to estate tax law, leading Li to make a discovery that would impact her professional life. “I found tax to be incredibly complex and… Read more »

Acknowledgements
September/October 2020

TEI gratefully acknowledges the support of the following firms that would have sponsored TEI’s Midyear Conference. Their financial support enables TEI to maintain a rich program of value-added education, networking, and advocacy activities for the in-house tax community. Exclusive Affinity Partner Thomson Reuters Platinum ADP Andersen Baker McKenzie Bloomberg Tax… Read more »

Choosing the Path Forward

I am honored to serve as TEI’s international president during its 75th Annual Conference year. The opportunity to help shape and guide the leading association of in-house tax professionals worldwide is one that provokes a great sense of gratitude and duty. I am humbled but delighted to take on the… Read more »

Automation and Analytics Through a Digitally Transformed (and Remote) Workforce
The Experts: Andy Ruggles and Allison LeClair

Our current environment is magnifying pressures on tax functions to take action in a changing regulatory landscape characterized by marketplace uncertainty, demands for accelerated reporting, better risk management, and greater use of technology in day-to-day operations. There is no perfect time to take the first step toward implementing new automation… Read more »

Eight Tips to Implement and Integrate Tax Technology

For corporate tax departments, implementing technology is a high-stakes, high-profile, can’t-afford-to-fail undertaking. We have seen cases when poorly executed projects have adversely affected senior tax executives’ compensation and job security. So, here are eight tips for getting it right. Align with corporate objectives. Solicit input from key stakeholders and craft… Read more »

TEI Requests Administrative and Payment Relief for State and Local Taxes in Response to COVID-19 Crisis
On March 25, 2020, TEI sent state and local tax organizations and state tax revenue agencies a letter seeking administrative, filing, and payment relief for state and local taxes in response to the COVID-19 crisis. TEI’s letter was prepared under the aegis of TEI’s State and Local Tax Committee, whose chair is Michell Rodriguez. TEI Tax Counsel Pilar Mata coordinated the preparation of the brief and was its principal author.

We write to urge state tax agencies to provide administrative and payment relief for state and local taxpayers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In-house tax practitioners responsible for preparing federal, state, and local tax returns of business taxpayers have been required to telework and, in many cases, shelter in… Read more »

COVID-19 and the VAT Response

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to greatly impact the global economy, one area in which countries have attempted to ease the burden is value-added tax (VAT). Some countries have chosen simply to accelerate VAT refunds or offer payment extensions or deferment, but many have decided to reduce VAT rates significantly… Read more »