Kristin Alexander

Great literature is full of head-scratchers. Some questions are tough to answer: the Sphinx’s riddle in Oedipus Rex, the lead casket that contains Portia’s picture in The Merchant of Venice, Gollum’s brainteasers in The Hobbit. Property tax compliance can be just as puzzling, and getting it right in some states can be more complex than in others. This blog post sheds light on what makes personal property tax compliance in certain states particularly tricky.

According to Gartner, in 2024, the success of enterprises entering into mergers and acquisitions (M&A) depends partly on their ability to navigate “an increasingly complex regulatory environment.” While Gartner points to anti-competition and national security as significant concerns and subjects of scrutiny, companies must also consider how M&A activity can make property tax compliance and licensing more complex.

Around the country, warehouses are packed with used chairs and standing desks that once outfitted bustling offices. In what’s become a common occurrence in the wake of the COVID pandemic, businesses are liquidating office furniture and desktop computers no longer needed by employees who now work from home. Sometimes, employers are simply giving the items away.

The COVID pandemic lockdowns dominating 2020 resulted in millions of employees sent home to work. Nearly four years later, fewer workers are returning to offices full time and companies are facing tough decisions about what to do with their primarily empty buildings.

California produces more than 80% of U.S. wine and is home to some of the largest wineries in the country. Tax compliance can be complicated when your business involves managing multiple vineyards, operating specialized equipment, and even moving grape bins with forklifts. In addition to complying with beverage alcohol tax laws regulating shipping and selling wine, California wineries must also consider managing property tax compliance.

A manager kept asking the vice president of her company for a promotion. The VP repeatedly asked her to define her new role. In turn, the manager asked her boss again and again to define his expectations for the role. Around and around they went.

“Be true to yourself” isn’t a worn-out pep talk. It’s valuable advice to anyone who aspires to be an effective leader. Studies show higher work engagement and improved psychological well-being and job satisfaction among employees who view their managers as authentic.

Bosses want their employees to feel it’s OK to ask for help or share a seemingly silly idea. Leaders may even understand how psychological safety benefits a workplace by improving collaboration and innovation. Too often, though, there’s a disconnect between how bosses think team members feel at work and reality.

An organization’s effectiveness depends on its employees’ ability to see themselves as valued team members and feel comfortable sharing opinions without negative consequences. A three-year research study involving 50,000 Google employees revealed that the top differentiator among the company’s highest performing teams was psychological safety. Leaders have the most influence when it comes to making team members feel safe. Yet, many managers lack an understanding of how to create a psychological

It’s been six months since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deadline requiring telecommunications providers to direct all 988 calls, texts, and chats to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. ... Though most will agree the new service provides a lifesaving safety net, it’s also creating increased complexity for businesses that pay communications taxes.

There’s a common belief that tax is hard. When we say tax is hard we aren’t talking about grumpy auditors, tax payments that carve into your bottom line, or automated phone messages that make it tough to reach a human at the Department of Revenue.

Robert Frost famously stood at the crossroads of two paths then took the one less trodden. In a similar but less poetic fashion, there’s an easy way and a hard way for jurisdictions to tax new communications technologies. How their statutes define communications products and services makes all the difference.

Buying a new smartphone with the latest bells and whistles is pretty straightforward. Pony up the big bucks upfront or finance it through multiple payments, either way you can expect sales tax to be tacked onto the bill. But the moment you want to actually use that phone for something more than taking videos of your dog’s latest trick, the costs become infinitely more complicated.

Technology is one of the biggest challenges faced by government agencies. For years, antiquated procurement processes stood in the way of businesses hoping to win the big bucks that often come with state and local government IT contracts. For the benefit of all, that’s changing.