The biggest barrier to companies automating sales tax is often inertia. Without a shake-up of the status quo, the de facto response is “why change?” or “I’ll get to it later.” It typically takes something significant to get people to pull the trigger on sales tax automation.
Getting closer to the customer is no longer a retail-centric sales strategy. More manufacturers, suppliers and wholesalers are starting to sell direct to consumers (D2C). Motivations vary: brand awareness, customer loyalty, even product innovation. But for the most part, B2B sellers are simply looking to give consumers what they want — the ability to buy products directly from the source. Many are already doing it.
Bwaahahaha! Is that the ghostly laugh of a Halloween haunt — or the auditor reviewing your sales tax returns? Dealing with sales tax can be a ghoulish task. And for businesses with compliance obligations in multiple states, it can be frighteningly difficult to know which rules apply.
Don’t undervalue transactional tax management in post-merger systems integration. Companies grow in vastly different ways; some focus on organic growth while others expand through strategic mergers or acquisitions.