Sorting through the maze of sales and use tax rules can be frustrating and confusing.  Plante & Moran’s SALT team has an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of these obligations and puts its knowledge to work for you with the following services:

Sales and use tax refund studies

The goal of a refund study is to add to your bottom line by recovering taxes that have been paid in error to vendors or to state revenue departments.  Overpayments are commonly caused by changes in tax laws and revenue department policies or by outdated compliance systems.

Transactional tax planning

From your everyday transactions – such as equipment acquisitions and leases, software purchases, or drop shipments on behalf of a customer – to business mergers and acquisitions, sales and use tax issues abound with consequences that vary from state-to-state.  Transactional planning involves reviewing deals and recommending solutions that minimize sales and use tax on upcoming transactions.

Nexus reviews

Failure to collect and remit sales and use tax can cost companies thousands to millions of dollars upon discovery by state and local taxing authorities.  Discovery is occurring more frequently today due to increasing technology and improved communication between the various departments within a state and also between states and the IRS.  A nexus review will assist your company in understanding where it has sales and use tax registration and collection requirements based on current and planned activities.  It will also quantify past tax liabilities, and enable you to make an informed business decision regarding tax compliance. 

Negotiation of voluntary compliance agreements with applicable taxing jurisdictions

Many times seeking a voluntary compliance agreement is the “right decision” to minimize or eliminate past tax obligations and potential penalties.  As your representative, the Plante & Moran SALT team will anonymously contact states on your behalf and negotiate to obtain the most favorable possible agreement terms.

Compliance review, taxability matrix and staff training

Are you claiming all of the tax exemptions available to your company?  Are your customer exemption certificate records current?  A review of your sales and use tax compliance policies, procedures and systems can assist is answering these questions.  In addition, the development of a taxability matrix and staff training can help to ensure your sales and use tax compliance is in alignment with current sales and use tax laws and rulings.