How firms are turning sales tax into proactive advisory
By Kim Blascoe, CPA
For years, sales tax lived in the “periodic compliance” bucket. Gather the data, file the returns, document the work, and move on.
That model is breaking. Clients add states, channels, and product types faster than their processes mature. Marketplace and digital revenue complicate who collects and remits. And economic nexus rules mean obligation is often triggered by activity, not physical presence.
Since the Wayfair decision, “we don’t have a location there” is no longer a reliable proxy for “we don’t have an obligation there.” Economic nexus rules are now a fact of life, and the day-to-day work of staying compliant is increasingly tied to ongoing visibility, not a one-time study.
For firms, the central tension is practical and familiar – clients need more help – but sales tax is a service line where accuracy, defensibility and risk management matter as much as efficiency.
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About the author
Kim Blascoe, CPA, leads CPA.com's CAS 2.0 practice transformation programs, focusing on helping firms establish and grow optimized CAS practices through consulting, practice development and training offerings. Prior to joining CPA.com, Kim spent more than 30 years in public accounting, which included leading the CAS practice for a Top 20 firm.
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