Income Tax October 9, 2026
What to Ask a Vendor About State E-File Coverage
Ask which states and which tax types the package supports for the coming filing season, with approval dates, rather than in general.
February 9, 2015
How and When to Make Sales Tax Payments
If you or your clients are new to collecting and paying sales tax, the process might seem overwhelming. Once you have determined that taxable sales are occurring, the next step is to prepare yourself for being a sales tax collector and remitter.
January 26, 2015
National Average Sales Tax at 5.45%, While 201 Localities Changed Indirect Tax Policies
While the average U.S. sales tax rate remained unchanged in the fourth quarter, the number of indirect tax changes increased from the previous quarter, according to the latest ONESOURCE Indirect Tax report from Thomson Reuters.
November 7, 2014
Sales Tax Is About to Take Center Stage
Once the elections are over, we expect Congress will finally get busy focusing on sales tax legislation. But that's only part of the excitement here at the magazine. It's that time of year when accountants have a bit of time to spare before they ...
November 5, 2014
The Best and Worst States for Taxes in 2015
The Multistate Tax Foundation (MTF) recently issued its 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index report, a benchmarking report that enables state governments and others to compare their tax systems with other states. Ideally, those states that rank ...
October 14, 2014
How to Avoid or Even Take Advantage of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
[This is part of a special series of articles designed to maximize tax benefits and minimize tax pitfalls at the end of the year.] The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is often referred to as a “stealth tax” because it sneaks up on unsuspecting taxpayers. But you’re not doing your job well if your clients are caught...…
October 10, 2014
How Does the Marketplace Fairness Act Affect Use Taxes?
While almost everyone has heard of sales tax, many business owners are unaware that most states have a “use tax.” State laws treat sales and use tax as two separate taxes, but in reality they act in concert to complement each other.
October 10, 2014
5 Networking Tips for State and Local Tax (SALT) Practitioners
You probably know the income, sales, and use tax rules in your own state and local jurisdictions without having to do much research. But what if a new client walks in the door and presents you with a tax situation in a state where you have not practiced b
September 23, 2014
Sales Tax Software Company Receives Patent
A Northwest Arkansas software company earlier this month received one of only 15 sales tax-related patents ever issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
September 12, 2014
How to Prepare for a Sales Tax Audit
The sales and use tax audit could possibly be one of the biggest challenges that your business clients will face. If you are working with a client who has been selected for an audit, you are now tasked with proving that the client remitted the correct amount of sales tax to the state Department of…
September 12, 2014
Are Your Clients Likely to Face a SALT Audit?
Historically, a business' gross revenues follow seasonal patterns and even a small change in gross revenue should result in a small change in the associated accounts. In an attempt to discover why one established contractor was selected for audit, I reviewed their sales tax filings and created the below table.
August 29, 2014
Wisconsin Falls $281 Million Short on Tax Collections
State tax collections fell short of expectations by $281 million last year, providing potential difficulties in the future for the state budget and immediate fodder for this fall's tight governor's race.
August 26, 2014
New Idaho Tax Break Gets First Business Applicant
An airline is looking into coming to Idaho to set up a maintenance facility in Boise that would create 100 new jobs with salaries of close to $50,000 a year, Idaho's state commerce chief says, in part because of a new tax incentive law.