Both on direct and indirect taxation the tax authorities have set their priorities. The tax authorities not only want to receive more tax data, but also faster and more often. In addition, there is a tendency to allocate the ultimate tax responsibility at the highest level in a company. Since last year in the United Kingdom the Board of Directors has to sign off the company's tax strategy and also publish the strategy externally.
Tax departments and the external auditors face due to these 2 tendencies new obligations. These tendencies could however also support change.
The new data requirements of the tax authorities have to be properly assessed and interpreted from a tax risk management perspective to see whether the data requested contain any uneforeseen and major tax risks. The outcome of such an exercise could also make clear that the company has to reorganize its business and tax processes.
When all tax disciplines (e.g. TP, indirect tax; etc.) work together a joint responsibility for the overall tax affairs of a company could be established. That might facilitate the buy-in for tax investments.
When successful tax can take the place it deserves: an important part of a company's business strategy.
All chapters
- Introduction: Relevant tax data from Transfer Pricing and VAT: explaining the ‘Why’, ‘What’ and ‘How’
- The auditor is not (yet) a risk analyst
- New tax legislation in the UK: 'Tone at the top'
- More attention for Transfer Pricing
- More attention for VAT
- Tax authorities request more, faster and more often tax data
- SAF-T rolled out in more countries
- 'The impact on in-house tax function' and 'Preaudit before submit'
- Realise a joint tax responsibility
- Read: complete article with all chapters and links to follow up articles (in depth)
Above is a translation of article published in Vakblad Tax Assurance. Dutch version can be downloaded for free: Download click the link
