Questions about what to report as taxable purchases when filing a sales tax return? We have you covered. Watch our latest video.

Mary and Stephanie discuss sales tax exemptions for people who repair commercial property impacted by natural disasters in Texas. Click here to watch this brief informative video.

In this video, Mary addresses line 2 on the Texas Sales & Use Tax Return ⇒ Taxable Sales.

I recently spoke with a client who asked the million-dollar question:  Why do I get a different answer every time I ask someone the same tax question?  It's maddening isn't it?  Here are my top three reasons this happens:

I can always tell when fall is around the corner. It isn’t because of the cool weather (which rarely appears when school is starting) or my internal Spidey sense, it’s all the Back-to School ads on TV. That, coupled with notices about tax-free weekends, always signals that school is starting soon.

Sometimes it seems as if we live in a world where everyone is just trying to skate by instead of striving for the best. Excellent service is rare and “okay” service is the norm. Using fillers like “um” and “you know” takes the place of concise speech. Ambiguity is valued, while being precise isn’t. While that may be okay when you are ordering a chalupa, it isn’t okay when you are dealing with sales tax.

February always brings to mind hearts, flowers, love and passion. Business owners usually start a business when they are passionate about what they are doing.For example, you love baking, so you open a bakery. You love working with your hands, laying tile or installing cabinets, so you become a contractor. You want to support your family, you enjoy nice things, and you have an idea about how to make money, so you open a business. Whatever the reason, every business owner has a story about why they hung out their shingle.

I love this question.  The answer is simple.  Learn the tax rules as they apply to your business.  And prioritize compliance with the rules BEFORE an audit is generated.

By the time an audit is generated, your records are either good or they’re not.  You have taxed the transactions in the audit period correctly, or you haven’t.  You have paid sales or use tax due on your purchases, or you haven’t.  You have receipts and other documentation needed to conduct the audit, or you don’t.

It is so disheartening to have someone tell me they paid someone to “handle” a sales tax audit for them and they feel cheated because nothing happened.  They have a bill and no one will speak with them about it.  For everyone who is going through an audit, I have a few things that you should question when hiring an advocate. The next blog will address what YOU can do to secure your best audit result.

I went to a conference and the speaker encouraged business owners to have a second set of books.  I heard the suggestion and thought, “what is this craziness?!” The rationale was as follows:

• The first set of books would be given to your CPA, and serve as the basis for tax filings etc.  It would accurately reflect expenses, revenues, etc.
• The second set of books would remove select items to show “how the firm was really doing.”  The second set of books would eliminate expenses, such as owner salaries, owner-related expenses, and revenue that was deemed extraordinary.  It was advised that the second set of books be kept under lock and key and never confused with the “real” set of books.

As people began to make plans to institute this plan, I was struck by the level of risk associated with this practice.  It is truly dangerous to have two sets of books.

I recently came across a recording of Wizard of Oz in my DVR and I immediately started drawing parallels between those characters and the state tax world. Some clients are like Dorothy, thrown into a strange world (state and local tax), but willing to follow the yellow brick road on what can be a harrowing journey. Others are like the Lion, praying for courage or like Oz, hiding behind a curtain and making up stories to keep everything running smoothly.

When you are a business owner, there are a million things that you must understand to run a successful business.  Understanding your state tax responsibilities is normally not high on your radar.  While every jurisdiction is different, there are questions that all business owners should ask about state taxes.

A really nice guy named Richard called because he was awarded a construction project in California. He stated emphatically that he wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to do his job, comply with state tax law, and rest easy knowing that he covered both his bases and those of his client.

As a construction company owner, Richard has it tough. Not only does he struggle finding skilled labor, he is also challenged with high levels of competition, decreasing profit margins and sales and use tax law complexities.

You turned on the TV, looked at your email, surfed the internet and everyone was talking about the Wayfair case and nexus.  You listened (a little) and now you are left wondering what it means for you and your business. For some people, it means very little.  For other people, the world exploded.

News flash! Understanding the Tax Code is not the easiest thing to do. The good news is that almost jurisdictions provide resources to help taxpayers. Websites with publications, FAQs, the Tax Code and Comptroller or DOR agents are all ready to assist you. 

But, sometimes complex issues cannot be resolved by reading the FAQs section of the website or with a call to the taxing jurisdiction. Websites are only as good as the information on them. I have found old, superseded information on DOR websites. I have also found information that was just plain wrong.