Blog

Xyto at Launch of New WU TaxTech Course

Education in taxtech & transformation takes another big step into the mainstream! Bringing together tax technology & tax transformation Xyto is pleased to announce a new partnership with WU Tax Law Technology Center and our contribution to a new Tax Technology Certification Course. This is in addition to the WU Executive Academy LL.M Tax Law & Digitalization where we are already regular guest lecturers. It is no secret that we ...
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Ahu Caglayan Joins Xyto Taxology

To head up Growth Strategy & Business Development We are excited to welcome Ahu Caglayan as Head of Growth Strategy and Business Development at Xyto Taxology. With an impressive track record in building strong partnerships, leading tech projects, and creating customer value in the industry, we know Ahu will be a key forward driver of our corporate mission. That mission, by the way, is to demystify tax digitalization, give the ...
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Tax Technology in Denmark

Would you like Transformation with that? Visions, Strategy & Reflection It was my great pleasure last week to be in Copenhagen working with a group of senior tax & tax technology stakeholders from some of the largest companies in Denmark. They have been coming together informally for about five years to share and discuss their challenges in a safe environment (Ed. Are there other groups like this elsewhere? It would ...
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Taxology Part 4: Why Wiki Matters

Cliché Busting: The Substance Behind the Sound Bites Part 4 of 5: Key Concepts in the Future of Tax There’s a saying that goes, “technology requires tax to upskill, but transformation requires tax to reskill“. For those that follow this series, it will be no surprise that we fully subscribe to this. Of course, we don’t mean that current skills must be forgotten, but the impact of digitalization is so pervasive that ...
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Xyto Takes Part in WU Tax Digitalization Program

Building on last year’s positives Elevating Digital-Era Education in Tax For the second year running, Geoff Peck, our founder & chief taxologist, contributed at the innovative LL.M. Digitalization & Tax Law program run by the Executive Academy at the University of Vienna (WU), now in its third year. This program addresses the critical need for digital acumen & skills in today’s tax profession. Based on our own Smart Tax Technology certification program, itself now in ...
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Taxology Part 3: Why ‘Data’ Matters

Part 3 of 5: Key Concepts in the Future of Tax  Cliché Busting: The Substance Behind the Sound Bites The third concept under review, namely ‘data’, is without doubt the most impactful to the future of tax. As a paradigm-shifting medium for tax information, digitalized ‘data’ is firmly in the process of redefining the industry, and it is the focal point around which all tax transformation revolves. This sentiment is expressed in ...
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Taxology Part 2: Why Transformation Matters

Part 2 of 5: Key Concepts in the Future of Tax Cliché Busting: The Substance Behind the Sound Bites  Part 2: The Essence of Transformation Of the five concepts under review, perhaps transformation is the most high profile, but also misfires the most. That’s a shame because it’s vital to avoiding disruption and succeeding in the digital world. Almost every tax technology effort, or systems project with a tax component, is either ...
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Taxology Part 1: Why Agile Matters

Part 1 of 5: Key Concepts in the Future of Tax  Cliché Busting: The Substance Behind the Sound Bites In one sense, taxology is about delivering tax technology with built-in digital future-proofing.  Xyto and its partners are all about realizing both for the price of one, such that…  Their combined value is far greater than the sum (cost) of their parts.  But how? … Well, it’s no big mystery.  We run ...
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Your 2023 Tax Transformation Break Out

Happy Happy New Year! This year has extra meaning! From Insight to Full Digital Naturalization The goal was always clear. To the traditional approach to tax technology, which is ‘IT & automation’, we needed to add:
  1. Future-proofing – to protect you and your tax function from the further digitalization of tax
  2. Digital upskilling – so that technology complements modern tax professionals, not replaces them
  3. Skills succession – sharing & normalizing new digital ...
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The New Rhythms of Tax

Join us and Feel the Future Joining the tax industry used to have a measure of certainty about it. As a grand & noble institutionalized profession underpinned by tradition, formality and law, it generally provided a predictable, scripted future that simply had to be enacted by its agents to guarantee stability, status, and worth. Digitalization has rocked those previously stable foundations to the core. Today, there is a new rhythm ...
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The ‘Why’ Behind Tax Technology Training

This Cyber Monday, the industry stalwart Smart Tax Technology certification program is on offer at an 80% discount to the normal price. This has prompted much interest, so we, the Xyto service group, decided to interview the author & coach, to help answer some of the questions you have … Hi Geoff, thanks for meeting us. What was your original reason for creating this course? It’s a pleasure to talk to you. The reason is ...
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Tax Transformation Reaches Tipping Point

And like climate change, there’s no going back The ticking clock is calling time on pre-digital thinking in tax The digitalization of tax has no equivalent to COP27 to hold us to account for what we already know to be both true and inevitable. But if it did, it would probably go something like this:
  1. Tax is going digital and has reached a point of no return
  2. The tax profession ...
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Cyber Monday Begins Now

Save 80% on Smart Tax Technology Program We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Exclusive Cyber Monday Offer giving you an unmissable 80% off the most accessible, flexible and sought-after training – Xyto’s Smart Tax Technology Certification Program. This remains essential upskilling at a time when digitalization is changing the rules of the game. Through digital empowerment, tax professionals must become trusted business partners & tech project co-pilots in ...
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Tax Engines For the Mass Market … But what about the ROI?

Getting value from tax engines for next tier companies  When global indirect tax determination (tax engines) first came out 20 years ago, they were the preserve of the very large. Only the biggest companies in the world had the scale & volume to realize a worthwhile ROI from these beasts, but that situation has now changed. Firstly, the move to cloud has lowered costs, simplified install & maintenance, and made ...
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At Last, A Book from SAP on Tax

A new publication brings tax into the SAP mainstream in a good way!  SAP Press have finally released Tax with SAP S/4HANA – Configuration and Determination, which is about time. The core tax determination capabilities in SAP date from 1972 and have barely changed since. However in that time, the tax world has changed out of all recognition, and the first few pages reflect that with some refreshingly up-to-date commentary ...
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The Tax Transformation Challenge – This is NOT a Drill … But first change the narrative and get ‘buy in’

Leadership that demands success before commitment will get neither… Transformation is, in part, a psychological journey with a series of emotional responses. According to Lindsay Herbert*, these are in order denial, fear, anger, delight, and ultimately attachment to new technology and ways of working. In the tax world currently, it’s safe to say that the denial phase is over. No one doubts tax authorities and organizations have taken technology adoption to the point where nothing will ...
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The Traditional vs Transformational View of the Impact of Technology on Tax … and why it matters more than ever

From 20th century data processing to 21st century digital empowerment People like to think of “transformation” in terms of digital transformation, or the introduction of technology into the way tax works today. This typically translates into the notion that automation leads to transformation, but this is incorrect. In fact, if taken too far, that thought process can be quite harmful. Possibly it’s the word “digital” that’s confusing, it’s hard to ...
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The Most Revealing Masterclass of ’22 Is Back & You’re Invited…

We’re delighted to announce our Tax Transformations Essentials Masterclass – 3 Steps to Nirvana & Elevating Your Tax Career is back on and we know you’ll want to be the first to join us at our new time of 11:30 / 12:30 BST / CEST Tuesday, 13 Sept. Let’s begin by refreshing your memory – read on and find out how you can unlock an exclusive offer to get on ...
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Xyto Contributes in Africa – Our social side in action

Expanding our contribution beyond wildlife For those that asked, we were always happy to tell people our previous company name – PawPaw Taxology – was a derivation of “Peck and Wilson Protecting African Wildlife”, and that sentiment remains even as we rebranded to Xyto Taxology. Time off at Xyto is a relative term… We are indeed in Africa, both enjoying and catching up on the 20,500ha of pristine Botswana wilderness ...
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Innovation Needs Leaders, Not Managers

Managers Execute, Leaders Explore … and the Difference is Crucial to Transforming Tax Tax professionals are skilled in the art of tax, but when it comes to working within their companies, they turn to the management profession for methods & tools. Historically this has worked well, but now that tax folk must innovate to stay ahead of the digitalization of tax, major cracks are starting to appear. It’s no secret ...
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Smart TaxTech Graduation Day – A Q&A With Brand New Taxologists!

Get to know the graduates… you may have more in common than you think! It’s been busy so far this year at Xyto HQ but there’s always time to welcome new students. We talk to three of our newest Smart Tax Technology Certification graduates, each of which successfully attained the level of foundational taxologist. Here’s the feedback on their groundbreaking experience… How did you feel before working with me? “[I ...
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To Teach Tax to ‘IT’​ or Teach ‘IT’​ to Tax, That is the Question. Or is it?

Our Response to This Age Old Question – Do Neither! Twenty years ago, at the first tax & tax technology conference we ever attended, there was a presentation called … Teach Tax to ‘IT’ or ‘IT’ to Tax – Which is better? The same question came up in one of the spring conferences a month ago, which put in sharp relief this hamster wheel that industry leaders have been stuck ...
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Tax on the Brink – The Need to Inspire

How to Halt the Downward Spiral of In-House Tax The backdrop for this is simple. It works like this:
  1. Technology is driving tax into the digital realm
  2. Tax professionals are not keeping up with this shift
  3. Tax is now too complex for IT or others to do it for them
  4. Business leadership perceives tax as a growing strategic issue
  5. In-house tax attempts to address this but misses the mark
  6. ...
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My Seminar at the University of Vienna

Guest Lecturing to Next Gen Tax Professionals at the Executive Academy If anyone still doubts the importance of personal development in tax transformation, then doubt no more. The pressure to shift mindsets and start putting ‘people’ above ‘technology’ has now gone mainstream … Vienna University Of Business & Economics (WU) is about to award 15 or more students an LL.M. (Masters) in Tax & Digitalization. It was my pleasure to ...
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Tax Independence Day – Freedom from the Tyranny of Technology

Three sure-fire steps to turning invasive forces to your advantage In the biggest film of 1996, mankind was not expecting the aliens to arrive. Then one day, they just turned up and started wreaking havoc on the world. This bears some resemblance to what happened to tax when digital disruption arrived. In the movie, a ragtag group of scientists, survivors, combat pilots and the US president save the day by ...
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More Automation Does NOT Lead to Transformation

(Ed. A career impacting concept I tackle in my FREE Masterclass – read on and find out how to join the masterclass and upgrade your knowledge today) That statement should reverberate strongly across the world’s corporate tax functions, but that’s rarely the case. Instead, there’s a tendency to tinker with technology, tackle pain points, and address symptoms, while missing altogether the root causes that led to the issues in the ...
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VAT Update: ‘The Internet Is Rotting’ – And ERPs Have Followed Suit

But only if we let it be that way. It’s our choice! This week, VAT Update took the words right out of my mouth with their “The Internet Is Rotting” intro (click here to see full article). In short, we both strongly agree that “out of the box” ERP systems do not pass muster for VAT (or other taxes for that matter) and it falls to you, the everyday tax ...
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Out with the Old & In with the New

The surprising role that taxology plays in the conversation on hybrid work The recent TLG 15th Indirect Tax Exchange was a hybrid event, enabling me to interact with both online and in-person audiences. It was a highly successful experience and allowed many thinly stretched tax professionals to participate who otherwise may have missed out. We now expect hybrid events to become the norm, and the same argument applies to the ...
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It Costs Less Than Doing Nothing!

The Hidden Costs of Most TaxTech Strategies We talk to a lot of people and there is a common theme to tax technology & digitalization concerns, and that is, “how do we get ahead of the game and stay on top of all the changes?” Viewing this landscape with a taxologists’ eye, we can see people address symptoms & short-term immediate needs only with scant consensus on how to get ...
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NEW! Smart TaxTech – The Community Coaching Edition

Introductory Offer Included! The spring conference season kicked off in a big way. Events are well attended and topics are enlightening. Our high-level takeaways so far are:
  1. The tax world is changing at breakneck speed on several fronts, much of it driven or underpinned by technology;
  2. Solutions are needed for tax data management, e-filing & reporting, systems governance, tax control frameworks, and more; and
  3. People are vital to these ...
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PawPaw Becomes Xyto

More than a name change … Seven years ago today we founded PawPaw Taxology with an ambitious brief – find out why technology is so challenging, then make it (a lot) less challenging for tax. It was a major voyage of discovery for us, with ups, downs, and some blind alleys, but ultimately it was you that showed us the way. Your sharing, engagement, and contribution provided the platform needed ...
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Taking Charge of Change: Three Essential Principles

Turning the global digital revolution to your advantage The days when tax careers had a good degree of certainty and felt relatively safe are receding in the rear view mirror. Now, it frequently feels less comfortable as dramatic change intervenes, particularly of the digital kind. Tax professionals are wondering what the future holds, and concern levels are rising. Yet, change is a double-edged sword. If approached correctly, it can be ...
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Exciting Spring 2022 Conferences!

Exclusive Additional Discounts Available! We all know technology, digitalisation, and transformation form one of the biggest conversations for tax professionals today. Becoming digitally aware and tech-savvy is now a critical step in future-proofing the tax function.   Join us as we share some of our most valuable insights at the biggest calendar events for tax professionals in 2022.   We are pleased to be sponsoring and speaking at (scroll down for the ...
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The Eleven Roses of Tax Digitalization

But where’s the twelfth rose? We love working with people who are passionate about tax, which also means passion for the digitalization journey that is now our destiny as 21st century tax professionals. So, in celebration of that, here are eleven roses, each representing a key aspect of that journey: Rose #1: Digital awareness
Recognition that the digital world is different. Rose #2: Inspired leadership
Senior stakeholders willing to break ...
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Bridging the Digital Divide in Tax

Since the advent of computers in business (about 50 years ago), there’s been an on-going, two-sided story that reads something like this: Business: “Why is technology not easier and work better than it does?”     Technology: “Why does business insist on misunderstanding technology?” Tax was late to engage in this dialogue, but as our recent survey and others reveal, it’s now in the teeth of it. Few still doubt that ...
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Tax Technology Insights Exchange Survey Results

Start 2022 the Insightful Way! The Insights Exchange Survey conducted late last year revealed invaluable and encouraging insights into your technology challenges, giving us an even better understanding of how to help you and work with you on your digitalization journey. 2022 is the breakthrough year for that fresh, clear, workable view of the future we have been waiting for! Were You On The Same Page As Your Peers? Sharing ...
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Technology & Your Career: The Trojan Horse

Today’s tax job descriptions are disguising today’s tech reality Maybe you’re looking for a new job or just checking to see what’s out there in tax. You see something interesting and look over the job description. In short, it reads something like: International Tax Manager Good salary and benefits Responsibilities include: – managing the group’s tax position – strategies for optimizing cash flow and anticipating future obligations – managing audits ...
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2021: The Tax Transformation Manifesto

The digital storm is here. New values lead to a better response. This is now getting serious. It’s more obvious than ever. As the impact of digitalization floods in from all sides, tax keeps coming up short. The current issue of CFO.com reports that Chaos Reigns in Corporate Tax Departments. It must surely be time to fully acknowledge that what is needed is meaningful change to a far greater extent ...
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Conspicuously Absent from Tax Transformation is … Transformation

Instead, the delusion of transformation is rife! Acknowledgement Simon Butler and his book of the same name Tax Transformation efforts have become almost ubiquitous, at least in name. Yet, when measured against recognized references such CXO Transform, Digital Transformation People, or the teachings of taxology, they frequently have little or no transformation in them. This is a shame because it is now a prerequisite for genuine success in the digital ...
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New Taxologists Making a Difference

And they are headed for the mainstream. Join them! It is no secret that digitalization is confounding the tax & tax technology industry in a big way. Everyone is looking for answers, yet at the same time, more and more are finding a meaningful way forward. For example, Martin Pindak, who is approaching Week 5 of the Smart Tax Technology program, says: “This program explains the things you secretly suspected ...
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Open Season on Tax Data

Taking aim at Tax Data Quality in Source Systems! The spring conference season was different this year, and not just because of Covid. An ever-present topic amongst tax professionals was how to deal with digital regulatory environments being introduced by the tax authorities. In response, it seems that every company is coming up with its own approach. There is no one size fits all solution, or is there? Yet perhaps ...
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SNI Tax Digitalization Online Symposium , 15 June 2021, 2pm CEST

“Taxology” means understanding tax technology without having to know IT. Evidence from the street suggests that without taxology, tax technology almost always underachieves. Therefore, tax professionals must become familiar with the basics to help them navigate their careers as digitalization takes hold. To learn more, join us at the SNI Tax Digitalization Online Symposium, 15 June 2021, 2-4 pm CEST. Get all the benefits of a full conference including networking ...
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A Big Step Forward for Digital Readiness in Tax

Congratulations, Giulia! – our latest certified taxologist! Giulia was a great student and made every effort to ensure she grasped the principles covered. She went the extra mile during certification and tackled all available questions. We asked Giulia a few questions about her experience with the program: As a VAT manager, I was struggling mainly with two aspects: 1) interacting with IT and trying to find a common “language”  to ...
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“You Made Tax Technology Interesting”

“You made tax technology interesting”, a valued colleague told me as I was winding up an engagement with her team. This pleased me enormously because it meant she was starting to see a new way.

Now, if I had been there as a tax technologist, it is unlikely she would have made this comment, but I was there as a taxologist, and that is something quite different (in truth, ...
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Tax Needs Digital-Age Toolsets for Digital-Age Problems

Taxtanic meets digitalization iceberg! Acknowledgement @Digital Journal The tide turned during the pandemic. Flood gates are buckling as it becomes clear that the need for action around technology & digitalization is now urgent and imperative. We see it happening across our contacts & network, and the big service providers, specialist industry recruiters, and vendors of software solutions have never been busier. It is an amazing time to be in tax ...
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Taxology – Back to Basics

Why taxology is reaching an inflection point! In preparation for new and evolving insights & materials to be introduced at the 14th Group Indirect Tax Exchange, Geoff Peck (above) is interviewed by specialist recruiters, Harvey John. In a two-part blog, they go back to basics and ask: What is a taxologist? Technician or something different?, and What does the future hold for the tax industry?
They also ask, “Does technology ...
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Shackleton’s Taxologists

Crazy, mad, ridiculous; yet strangly compelling! Who would be a taxologist today? They have no job description, no proper role, indeterminant skills, are misunderstood and much maligned. Most in the industry don’t know who they are, whether they should get one, or what to do with one if they did. They are thought of as “IT for tax”, but that is contrary to the nature of the digital transformation pervading ...
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14th Group Indirect Tax Exchange

We are sponsors and key presenters and invite you to attend. 20+ Speakers, 200+ attendees The first day free for in-house tax & finance. See https://www.thoughtleaderglobal.com/indirecttax2021 for full agenda and speaker list. Our topic, as always, will aim to bring tax and technology together in harmony through understanding, awareness, and knowledge of the digital realm … Ably supported by one of our breakthrough certified taxologists … Register here ...
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The Seven Deadly Sins of Tax Technology

How to avoid them and beseech virtues instead! COVID-19 has been a watershed for technology and so it will prove to be for the digitalization of tax. Until now, the standard approach to IT in tax was tolerated despite being not good enough, cheap enough, or quick enough to deliver. That ended when tax was swept over the edge of the digital divide during the pandemic along with many others ...
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Time To Be Free

Gain certification today. It’s time. Last few weeks of Early Bird discount with Lifetime Membership Smart Tax Technology certification program Learn More Contact us to schedule a breakthrough call ...
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Coming Soon: The New Tax Function

How far are you on your digital transformation journey? The scale below may offer some guidance. Starting at the top, which is the last statement that accurately describes your tax function today (be honest)? 5% – the word “transformation” has entered the lexicon but plans are non-existent or lack coherence 7% – a tax or IT professional is put in charge of tax technology without any proper training 10% – the ...
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The Five Laws of Tax Data

Hundreds watched the insightful tax ‘data’ video from the last post and loved it, but thousands felt 13 minutes was too long and bypassed it. I sympathize – I would bypass it too if I’m busy, even for a snippet so central to the future of tax. So, here’s a short, sharp, incisive lead-in: The Five Laws of Data for the Digitally-Enabled Tax Function: Law #1: ‘Data’ is at ...
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Tax Data – Secrets Revealed

‘Data’ is the key to digitally enabling your tax function, and this is well understood. But few know how to make this actually happen. What’s more, it’s easy to get off on the wrong foot. So, how have some companies made tax data a true strategic asset? Watch this 13 min video to reveal their secret ...
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Taxology Stumbles and Evolves

The Evolution of Technology in Tax Studies The nascent body of knowledge required by a taxologist is under fire, despite showing real value spearheading tax into the digital era. “I resent the pseudo-profession that claims to be taxology − it muddies the waters when my focus is meeting customer needs“, exclaims a seasoned consultant. We disagree, but then again, it’s easy to see why he thinks this way. Besides the ...
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Embracing Tax Technology – The Full Perspective II

Your impact on corporate tax systems may be far greater than you think. @Courtesy Michael Sporn Animation, based on original images from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Alex has a special skill. He can read systems. This was not a talent he set out to acquire; one day it just happened. Perhaps it started some time ago when he remembers a financial whizz reading a balance sheet. “Your accountant is stealing from ...
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Tax and Technology – Still WiP?

Married, but uncomfortable bedfellows. The spring round of conferences is drawing to a close and it’s clear our industry is in robust health. Attendances were good, conversations were unfettered and it’s great to see how technology for tax keeps moving forward. However, something else stands out. The gap between the capability offered by tax technology and the degree to which those capabilities are capitalized upon effectively by customers is wide, ...
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Smart Tax Technology on a Roll!

Coming thick ‘n’ fast! Another new release. Tax is moving into a new phase. The usual strategy for technology no longer delivers. Companies must look beyond simply selecting the next product to install or service to buy for new ideas. There’s a strong sense that something is missing, which makes taxology more important than ever. So, what’s missing? Certainly, the “people” part of people, process and technology is grossly under-served ...
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A New Addition to Smart Tax Technology

   Better Innovation with Tax Technology – The Fundamentals The Smart Tax Technology Certification Program is again moving forward with a new bonus part for Part #3 Smart Innovation. “Activity Flow for Success” It introduces the PawPaw “Y”, an easy-to-grasp diagram that depicts the basic principles for improved technology adoption. It offers vital grounding for the forthcoming Part #3 as well as the entire program. It is available now to ...
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Taxology Gets Personal. New Services Launched

Tax professionals are becoming aware of two things: their dependency on digital systems, and that they must know more about this area themselves. Handing this responsibility to others has proved largely unrewarding. Increasingly embedded as business partners within companies, the tax team is assuming more responsibility and ownership over systems, projects and processes as they relate to tax, but there are concerns. For a group of people used to high ...
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Embracing Tax Technology – The Full Perspective

Is Your Approach to Tax Technology Governance Fit For Purpose?  The litany of challenges facing today’s Tax leadership makes for uncomfortable reading. A quick look into the alphabet soup reveals BEPS, CbCR, SAF-T, SII, AEOI, IFRS and even GDPR, never mind US tax reform, VAT in the GCC, GST in India, changes in China, transfer pricing complexities and taxing the digital economy. However, these are just the external highlights. Within ...
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Tax Technologist vs Taxologist? And Why It Matters

The shortage of good technology skills in Tax is acute, yet there’s little meaningful discussion about the nature of those skills. The industry is short-changed as a result. Technology is running amok through Tax in more ways than one. Less obvious is the impact its having on traditional roles, responsibilities and skill sets. How do we know this? Because if there was no issue, we would not see the following:
    ...
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A Profession for Taxologists! It’s Time

In 2014, Thomson Reuters began giving “Taxologist” awards to those who succeeded with their Tax Technology products. Now the term has adopted a broader meaning and labels a set of skills that are fast becoming as distinct as they are vital to tax function success. It’s time to treat them as such. The pace of change in the tax world, driven by technological advancement, is bewildering. Such is the impact ...
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What Is A Taxologist? Part II

As the impact of technology in Tax grows, so do concerns around the best way to deal with it. Getting a handle on it starts with better visibility and understanding of technology and its usage, namely, the talents of a Taxologist. They’re critical to the health of tax solutions. In the previous article, we offered a definition of a Taxologist (What is a Taxologist? Part I) to describe, embody and ...
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What Is A Taxologist? Part I

The definition of a Taxologist can vary, so let’s hone in on one that offers the most overall value to multi-national corporations. Their importance is matched only by the lack of clarity around who they are. As agents of change, language and technology work well together. Take smartphones for example. Adding a camera to a phone seems like an innocuous innovation until the words ‘selfie’, ‘selfie stick’, and ‘photobomb’ are ...
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2018: A ‘Technology in Tax’ Inflection Point?

The term “Tax Technology” doesn’t seem quite right anymore. It’s sounds too one-step-removed, like technology is “over there” and it can be dismissed as is someone else’s problem. Maybe calling it “Technology in Tax” is better, because 2018 stands to be the year when the business of “Tax” becomes indistinguishable from the technology that underpins it. This heralds a sea-change in approach. As 2018 arrives, it’s hard to fathom all ...
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The First Training EVER For Taxologists (And Those Who Work With Them)

Specific skills are vital for success with tax technology. But with few guidelines and no suitable training these skills were hard to put your finger on, until now. The ‘Smart’ Tax Technology Advanced Program is more than a course. It’s also a living support community and an instant-access resource. Recently we introduced the Tax Technology Insight Series (click here to view the announcement) where we explained how certain thought ...
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The Tax Technology Insight Series: New, In Depth, A Milestone

This has been needed for a while. Tax managers ask us, “If there’s so much information out there, why are there still so few answers?” In this series we open the ‘black box’ and explore technology for what really matters and why. Join us for a journey that until now was not possible. At recent conferences, we were taken aback at the level of perplexity surrounding tax technology. Companies struggle ...
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The Tax Data Analytics Conundrum

What can Tax managers at MNCs expect from the latest offerings? Tax data analytics is arguably the hottest topic in global tax technology today.  A raft of new offerings have entered the marketplace accompanied by soaring rhetoric and grand promises.  The new products, leaning heavily on the principles of big data, suggest that Tax managers will have a degree of insight, driven by data, that previously was unimaginable.  Are Tax ...
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PawPaw Taxology to Sponsor 6th Strategic Indirect Tax Director’s Forum

PawPaw Taxology are pleased to announce our participation in this independent event. The conference will explore key topics facing today’s tax departments in an open and informative manner. If not already registered, we would be most pleased to see you there. Marcus Evans Indirect Tax Forum – Frankfurt 15-17 February 2017 ...
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Why do Taxologists need Data skills?

Data skills can make the difference between a good Tax Technologist and an excellent one! Tax Technologists rightly covet their knowledge of Tax engines, ERPs and Tax Reporting tools as well as their implementation experience. These are the headline skills that recruiters look for and lands them jobs. However, the skills that bring extra levels of success are those associated with data. The converse is also true, namely that a ...
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What’s the distinction between “digitalization” and “tax function transformation”? The market is unclear. By the way, “automation” is different again

And will this finally explain what a Taxologist actually does? There are many aspects to the challenges currently engulfing the Tax function at major corporations.  Yet historically there has been a temptation to respond to these challenges in simple terms – namely, buy expensive technology, implement, create new business process maps and the job is done.  Over time, however, the industry have discovered this can yield inadequate results and that an alternate, and hopefully more effective, approach is needed ...
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So, why can’t we use Excel for Tax Reporting?

Excel has been described as the most important business software application in use today.  It is convenient, inexpensive, easy to use, versatile and for all intents and purposes universally available on each office worker’s laptop.  However, this does not mean that every data manipulation task requires an Excel-shaped solution.  So, for Tax reporting and finance activities where does the suitability of Excel begin and where does it end? Tax Reporting ...
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Brexit – Don’t End Date the UK Yet

Despite the referendum result the UK is still in the EU for now.  All EU VAT rules including those around intra-community supplies of goods and services, and the reporting obligations such as EC Sales List still apply.  There is no need to change anything in your tax solutions at this point. So, when? All things being equal the process to exit will not start until the UK government officially notifies the ...
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Tax Digitization Strategy? Don’t start with Technology

Brief: Technology adoption within the context of Tax function transformation It had been an enjoyable night out with industry associates that we had known for a long time.  We were nearing the end of the evening and everyone was feeling relaxed.  Amongst us were two senior tax managers from a Fortune 500 company that had had a global tax technology strategy in place for more than a decade.  One leaned across to ...
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The Evolving Role of the Taxologist

Tax and Tax Technology welcomes CBO Search as a new and specialist recruiter to the industry.  In addition to providing a service for executives and experts in the popular products, Candice Bordeaux, its founder, differentiates herself by exploring the role of the Taxologist.  A true Taxologist drives evolution within the Tax function and assists in encapsulating the impact of technology thereby improving its effectiveness and reducing IT risk. In an ...
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Tombstone Sheriff saves Tax Technology day

We have a new hero.  For years this person has travelled the world performing Indirect Tax automation projects and installing Tax Technology software.  He takes with him the largest cabin bag that will fit into the overhead locker of the budget airline with the tightest carry on luggage restrictions, and an iPad.  He is educated, clever and a chameleon, forever adapting to the daily rough and tumble of the ...
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Are Zero-Defect Tax Technology Projects Possible?

What a concept!  A Tax Technology project delivered without fault!  Surely this is outside the field of reference for many; but for others, and hopefully you are one of them, it is at least in the realm of the (improbably) possible. What do we mean by zero defect?  As a minimum this is a project that goes live on time, within budget, meets 100% of expectations, and has no ...
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Tax Technology 2016. Making a list, checking it twice …

The Tax Manager jumps up onto Santa’s knee while eyeing a bulging sack in the grotto labelled Tax Technology Toys.  “… And what would YOU like for Christmas”, asks Santa sweetly.  “I know I want something but I’m not really sure what it is or what it looks like; but I do know that when I have it I will be absolutely sure whether it is right or not!”  The year 2015 saw a ...
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VAT SAP 2015 Summit

Just returned from presenting at #VATSAP2015 and discussing #VATAutomation and #GolbalTaxTechnology. It was great to see old faces and make connections with new ones ...
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How Tolstoy understood Tax Technology projects

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
– Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877) Recently we were asked to deliver a workshop to a group of senior VAT function personnel from a diverse set of large corporations. The prearranged title was – 5 secrets of success for automating tax determination Over the next 2.5 hours the discussion was lively, illuminating, informative and worthwhile, but ...
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Tales from the Tax Technology travelogue

It has been another good conference. It’s a warm afternoon on the last day, and the presenter enthusiastically wades through lessons learned during the adoption of Tax Technology for VAT at his company. His was not the first on this topic. Earlier in the day we had a vendor espousing the latest greatest features of their products. The previous day a guest speaker had eulogised on how technology would transform the world of Tax ...
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PawPaw Taxology

PawPaw Taxology is pleased to provide an online forum to discuss the adoption and implementation of Tax Technology.
Your business needs are as unique as a paw print and we’d like to hear about your specific experiences with Tax Technology projects and the Digital Transformation, particularly as they apply to Global Indirect Tax Solutions.
We created this forum for you to share your best practices and lessons learned, to get ...
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