"I would be happy to provide a glowing reference for you now and in the future!"
James Inman, City Manager, Bessemer City, NC
"Working with you was a great experience!"
Jackie Huffman, Finance Director, Town of Cornelius, NC
"To say that working with George was easy would be a misstatement. It was as if he was a ghost in the night. The needs he placed on our staff to complete his review were almost nonexistent and the results were far better than I could have ever imagined. I would highly recommend his services to any local governmental unit in North Carolina."
Brian L. Welch, Town Manager, Town of Mint Hill, NC
"We have worked with George over a number of years and have found his depth of knowledge in the area of sales and use tax to rival anyone in the State. He has helped us to take advantage of lesser-known exemptions proactively and has provided valuable advice on both major and minor issues that seem to arise constantly. If he doesn't immediately know the answer to a question, he has shown the ability to find it quickly and accurately."
Drew Cooper, CPA, Financial Compliance Manager, City of Rock Hill, SC
Whenever possible, we secure an export of accounts payable data; converting the data to usable spreadsheet or database form. Working with the exported data, we isolate transactions where either the incorrect tax rate was applied or where tax was not previously accrued for recovery or payment. This changes depending on the state where the client is located. During this review, we look for incorrect account code usage, type of item being purchased and other indicators which would direct our review to source documentation for correct data.
Duplicate or erroneous payments are searched for and are isolated for correction. Duplicate payments usually occur only with large entities having multiple staff setting up payments. This type of correction is normally handled internally by programming staff charged with insuring data integrity. Even with sophisticated methods in place we discover duplicate payments.
State audits occur all the time. Some business types attract audits more than others and dealing with state auditors can be a problem especially when an inexperienced or close-minded auditor is working your case. State auditors exist to collect additional revenue and minimize refunds. Auditors do not exist to help your business grow!
Confirm all the auditor tells you. Do not accept what a field auditor says as the last word on an issue. All adjustments an auditor proposes must be substantiated by law, regulation or policy document and can be challenged should you not agree with the auditor's findings.
Do not sign waivers of the statute of limitations or any closing documents without discussing with proper counsel!
We negotiate with state auditors and upper level management up to the level where legal representation is mandatory. If legal representation is ever needed, we can prepare responses and briefs for your legal representative's use. We know many experienced tax attorneys and can provided you with referrals as needed.
Occasionally you may have questions and have found initial customer service at the Department of Revenue to be polite but not fully comprehending your needs. Having worked for many years with sales tax issues, we have developed high level contacts with authoritative decision makers who are happy to share their knowledge and give insight to solving problems. Let us be your voice to have your issue answered safely and securely.
While we normally answer most questions and provide authoritative advice, there are times where the facts of your special case may need to be conveyed in writing to the Department of Revenue. We are highly experienced in preparing written documents for every purpose when dealing with the Department of Revenue. When needed, we will ask your question for you in an insulated, hypothetical approach.
One must be cautious when contacting the Department of Revenue directly on issues where your business may have exposure. The Department of Revenue has caller-id on their phones. If you call in on your own and ask a question which makes the listener suspicious, you may have unknowingly invited a field audit.
Training is an important part of our services. It is our intention to leave our clients better off than we found them and in a state where our review services should not be needed again. We provide one-on-one as well as training for large groups, providing CPE hours for professional designation staff. We normally use PowerPoint and provide written information to convey our information. Once we have trained our client's staff, we provide ongoing support and answer future questions at no additional charge. We are always available to provide support to our clients!
Copyright 2015. Sales & Use Tax Consulting, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
