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We write The Sales Tax Institute blog to help keep you informed on all things sales tax and the profession. You will find articles about hot topics like nexus, detailed information on important legislation, and professional development insights to help you pave the path of your career.

What’s Use Tax Like Post SD v. Wayfair?

Use tax compliance is an important issue yet it is frequently neglected or forgotten about when looking at the big picture of keeping your company in compliance. Let’s first get clear on what use tax is. Use tax is a…

How One Court Decision Kept Us on Our Toes, Brought Us Together & Moves Us Forward

The Wayfair decision is unprecedented in the amount of change it brought to the sales tax landscape. It is also unprecedented in the way it has inspired camaraderie and community building among sales tax professionals in ways that make our…

South Dakota vs. Wayfair: One Year Later

June 21, 2019 marks the one year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the seminal South Dakota v. Wayfair case. And what a wild year it has been! As you can imagine, we’ve been busy at the Sales…

Fun Sales Tax Facts Across the States

Reading sales tax legislation and tax code is part of a sales tax pro’s daily routine. Every once and a while you’ll come across a law during taxability research that seems well, a little odd. When a state develops a…

Tips and Word-for-Word Scripts to Use in Audit Negotiations

Does the thought of a sales tax audit keep you up at night? If the answer is yes, you’re far from alone. An audit can strike fear in the heart of even the most seasoned sales tax professional. Whether you’ve…

Value What You Do (And Get Your Company to Value It, Too!)

One of the drawbacks of being a sales tax specialist is that sometimes it’s harder to get invited to the “party” – whether it’s a planning meeting, product launch, or growth strategy session. Leadership and others outside the sales tax…

What Activities Qualify for a Sales Tax Exemption?

Sales tax professionals can often feel like the bearers of bad news for their clients or companies, but it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. Exemptions are one of the areas where you can be the bearer of good news!…

Women in Sales Tax: Taking on the Business World & Pursuing Their Passion

The Sales Tax Institute is proudly woman-owned and woman-led. In light of Women’s History month, we’re celebrating all the women who spend their days working in sales tax. It’s a special month to take the time to elevate the voices…

VAT Terminology 101

Do you speak VAT? You know, Value Added Tax! Here in the U.S., sales tax is the name of the game, but in most countries around the world, VAT (or GST, IVA, TVA, IPI, ICMS, ISS among other acronyms) is…

Talking Sales Tax with Faculty Member Charles Maniace

Welcome to the latest in our series of Sales Tax Institute faculty member profiles! I recently sat down to chat with Charles Maniace, Director of Regulatory Analysis at Sovos. Charles is one of our newest faculty members, but he has…

Celebrating the Sales Tax Nerd Community

Nerd: a single-minded expert in a particular technical field Does this describe you? If you’re a sales tax nerd, you’re probably getting questions like “What’s up with the sales tax on my Amazon purchase?” We’re hearing those questions too -…

Cloud & Software Taxation After South Dakota v. Wayfair

States have been tackling taxation of software and the cloud for quite some time and this trend has continued post-South Dakota v. Wayfair. In fact, a number of major pieces of legislation have become effective post-Wayfair across the states. Let’s…

Football, Pizza & Sales Tax – A Chat with Faculty Member Jordan Goodman

Faculty member, Jordan Goodman, shares about his career path, advice for young sales tax professionals, and why he\’s passionate about teaching and working in sales tax.

East Coast States Sales Tax Changes to Know

We explore four recent East Coast sales tax updates and examine how these changes may affect your business operations, including some opportunities that may reap big benefits.

Top 2018 Sales Tax Developments and 2019 Predictions from Sales Tax Pros

2018 was a year for the books. We took the opportunity to reflect on one of the most exciting years in sales tax history by gathering insights from professionals at the top of the sales tax field. We asked sales…

2018 Sales Tax by the Numbers

A snapshot of the Sales Tax Institute\’s 2018 year in sales tax. From Wayfair to teaching more students than ever before, it was a memorable year!

How Sales Tax on Construction Works for Buyers and Sellers

Sales and use taxation of construction and real property transactions can be an area of great complexity that affects more than just contractors. Whether you’re a tax professional who works for a construction company or for a business that enters…

Giving Thanks to this Monumental Sales Tax Year

We give thanks to every member of the Sales Tax Institute circle who was a part of this momentous year in sales tax.

Manufacturing Sales Tax Exemptions: Making the Case

There are many opportunities to take advantage of sales tax exemptions in the manufacturing industry. Here are quick tips to uncover more and sometimes unexpected manufacturing exemptions for your company.

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Future of Tax Automation

AI and bots will change the way sales tax professionals operate on a daily basis. Learn what to expect in the future from these new technologies and ways to get ahead of the curve.

3 Ways that SD v. Wayfair Will Impact Retailers (And What To Do About It)

In a post-Wayfair world, retailers need to be aware of the impact this court decision can have on their operations. Here are three ways that Wayfair will impact retailers and what to do about it.

Passion and Intrigue

What two things can help you succeed the most? Most people think it is intelligence and connections. And yes, those are important, but I would argue that the two most important are passion and intrigue.

Sales Tax for Services: Side by Side Invoice Comparison

In this mini-training, Diane Yetter compares two differently formatted invoices for the same transaction to demonstrate the importance of invoice presentation for the taxability of the services you’re providing. Wording your invoice in a certain way can increase your taxability.…

Case Study: How Local Taxes Can Impact Small Businesses

There is a crucially important topic when it comes to sales tax compliance that most don’t properly consider: local sales and use tax.