Business models that are changing

There is one common denominator that is too often missing from the strategic or planning elements of a business model change — indirect tax.

But do these taxes get the attention they need, especially in light of increasingly complicated and globalized business models? And although these tax considerations may not be among the issues that drive a financial transformation, tax can certainly give rise to some significant and costly challenges.

That is particularly true of value added tax (VAT), which hits a number of disparate points within the enterprise as diverse as finance, procurement, IT or HR. One of the most common side effects of an integration that cannot be fully realized surfaces in the realm of invoicing.

For example, large numbers of payable invoices are not correctly coded so VAT is not deducted (in time). Or when the legacy system is only half integrated into the new model, incorrect sales invoices are issued, causing problems for customers, incorrect reporting of tax figures, and missed compliance obligations.

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