If your online company looks to expand its interstate sales in 2021, know one thing: Your plan involves risks and new responsibilities. The key is learning how to manage both, as sales tax non-compliance or errors can bring stiff penalties.

Robert Dumas
Recent posts by Robert Dumas
3 min read
Sales Tax and Your 2021 Growth Goals
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Jan 21, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
Topics: sales tax telecom tax
3 min read
How to Choose the Right Sales Tax Provider
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Jan 19, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
Picking the right provider to handle your business’s sales and use tax compliance is a big decision.
Topics: sales tax telecom tax
3 min read
Telecommunications Tax Exemptions
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Jan 14, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
TaxConnex works with a lot of telecommunications service providers that are new to the business. Many are existing MSP’s (Managed Service Providers) or IT management companies that would like to expand their service offering and become “stickier” with their clients. They may have infrastructure in place to support the sales tax requirements of their existing business, but the telecommunications service presents a different set of issues.
Topics: sales tax telecom tax
2 min read
Top Sales Tax Rules to Help Your Business Remain Compliant
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Jan 12, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
Sales tax compliance is complex, there’s no doubting it. While many hoped that the Supreme Court decision in South Dakota vs. Wayfair would make things more clear, it did quite the opposite.
Topics: sales tax compliance south dakota vs. wayfair
4 min read
Understanding the Taxability of Your Products and/or Tech Services
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Jan 07, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
If you were to read our 5 Steps to Sales Tax Compliance, or any guide on maintaining sales tax compliance, understanding the taxability of your products and/or services would be one of the first steps.
Topics: sales tax compliance taxability
3 min read
Understanding Sales Tax Obligations with Drop Shipments
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Jan 05, 2021 @ 11:00 AM
As if sales tax nexus and taxability rules weren’t confusing enough, throw in marketplace facilitators and drop shipments and it’s easy for a business of any size to want to give up on sales tax compliance.
Topics: taxability retail
3 min read
Alleviate Stress on Your Staff in 2021
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Dec 31, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
Your employees (like all of us) have more than enough headaches on all fronts headed into the new year. Back in April employees surveyed said that the pandemic is the most stressful time of their entire career. Now more than ever you owe it to your people – and to your business – to ease their problems when you can.
If you handle sales tax compliance in house, you’ve got your employees handling an unbelievably complex business function – and with 65% of businesses planning to grow across state lines* in the coming year, it may be more than they can manage.
Topics: sales tax compliance taxability
2 min read
Key Pieces of Your Exemption Certificate
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Dec 29, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
An exemption is an exception that eliminates the need to pay sales tax. The presumption is that all sales of tangible personal property are taxable unless specifically enumerated. The purchaser has the responsibility for determining whether a sale is exempt from tax. If the purchaser does not submit a valid exemption certificate to the business, the business must assess and collect the sales tax from the purchaser. The responsibility to determine the validity of the exemption certificate resides with the business. Without this exemption certificate, the state or jurisdiction in which you are registered will expect you to have collected sales tax.
Topics: sales tax taxability
4 min read
Sales and Use Tax in 2020: A Look Back
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Dec 22, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
Someday people will probably use a lot of words to describe 2020. “Un-eventful” won’t be one of them.
The year’s ongoing pandemic affected almost every aspect of life – including, and in no small way, sales tax, which was already an area that has seen unprecedented change since the Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision in 2018.
Add to that, jurisdictions that are worried about how lockdowns have affected their tax revenue and you have a tumultuous year.
Here’s a look back at some of the year’s developments.
Topics: sales tax sales tax news
2 min read
Managing More with Less
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Dec 17, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
With nearly 50 million Americans losing their jobs earlier this year and 11 million still unemployed nearly 10 months after the pandemic began, the reality of being forced to do more with less is being felt in every corner of almost every company, including the finance department. Hiring freezes and budget restrictions have left many finance teams struggling to keep up.
Topics: sales tax compliance sales tax
3 min read
Calculation and Compliance: The Importance of Having Both in Your Sales Tax Process
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Dec 15, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
We understand that sales and use tax may not be your biggest priority, but if not managed correctly, it can cause major headaches. Understanding the various aspects of your sales tax process is critical to minimize your risk and to keep your business on solid ground as it relates to sales tax.
Topics: sales tax compliance sales tax
2 min read
Recent Cases Show You Shouldn't Mess with Sales Tax Obligations
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Dec 10, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
States may be getting tougher on sales tax delinquents as the pandemic drags on and tax revenues, in many places, take hits. Just ask Fiorella’s Landscaping in western New York.
Topics: sales tax compliance sales tax
2 min read
5 Myths About Voluntary Disclosure Agreements
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Dec 08, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
Voluntary disclosure agreements (VDAs) can be an effective way to mitigate prior period sales tax exposure. They can also come with a lot of misconceptions.
Topics: sales tax compliance VDA
1 min read
TaxConnex Releases New Research that Reveals Top Concerns Among Financial Leaders Responsible for Sales Tax in 2021
By Robert Dumas on Thu, Dec 03, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
Alpharetta, GA - TaxConnex, Inc today released the results of a new survey finding that the increasing sales tax complexities, growing nexus, limited resources and additional audits are among the top worries of financial professionals in 2021.
Topics: sales tax compliance
2 min read
6 Benefits of Outsourcing Sales Tax Compliance
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
In light of the Wayfair decision, and due to recent new hires in a new state or increased online sales, you’ve determined you meet sales tax nexus thresholds outside of just your home state and now you have to collect, file, and remit sales tax in multiple states. What a headache. To make matters worse, this is a compliance issue, so you must act. What do you do?
Topics: sales tax compliance
3 min read
Recent Happenings and Challenges in the World of Sales Tax
By Robert Dumas on Tue, Nov 24, 2020 @ 11:00 AM
One state’s efforts to join the Sales and Use Tax System (SUTS) and another state’s lawsuit against a world-famous auction house highlight recent challenges in the sales tax world.