Director Sales, Use & VAT Tax Audits at Williams-Sonoma (2018-01 – Present)
- Responsibilities include management of domestic and international Sales, Use and VAT tax filings, tax audits and IT/Tax system integration issues.
- Responsible for determining appropriate tax policy, audit controls and procedures in order to ensure proper compliance with all tax laws and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements. Regularly partner and collaborate with A/P, A/R, IT, Legal, Product Management regarding a variety of tax technical reporting needs and requirements, including product sku tax mapping.
- Successfully managed the design and implementation of the Oracle Cloud financial reporting system which includes a highly complex a/p tax engine, online and store POS systems using Vertex.
- Successfully trained and developed a strong and capable indirect tax team, which is now able to address the tax filing, tax audit, and IT system vs processing issues.
- Provided tax savings and refund recoveries on tax audits, reverse audits and claims for refund in excess of $25 million.
Sales, Use & VAT Tax Advisory Services at Mark Bendick, CPA (2017-01 – 2018-12)
- Provided sales & use tax advisory services to retailers which included multi-state tax filing, tax audit and system integration assistance.
- Worked collaboratively with internal and external business partners regarding a variety of complex system, tax filing, as well as tax audit issues.
Director, Sales, Use & VAT Tax Audits at Gap Inc. (2003-01 – 2017-12)
- Managed domestic and international Sales, Use and VAT tax audits.
- Responsible for determining appropriate tax policy, audit controls and procedures in order to ensure proper compliance with all tax laws and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Regularly partnered with A/P, A/R, Strategic Sourcing, IT, Construction, Store Maintenance, Marketing, Legal, IT Finance, Corporate Shared Service Center (CSSC) Finance, as well as the Corporate Control Group (CCG) in an effort to ensure that tax out-of-pocket costs are minimized and that there are no significant financial reporting errors including tax audit exposures.
- Successfully managed implementation of the Oracle Use Tax Link (UTX) within Oracle 11i in 2004 in order to systematically self-assess and remit the necessary tax on taxable purchases in all taxing jurisdictions within the U.S. and Canada.
- Identified and resolved processing and system issues related to the R12 Oracle upgrade in 2009 including ETAX, resulting in substantial tax audit savings and avoidance of double taxation.
- Played key role in the successful implementation of the a/p tax engine replacement from UTX to Vertex-Ebusiness within Oracle in 2013. Proactively identified areas in which system issues or limitations were likely to occur, as well as solutions which can be cost effectively implemented.
- Extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with a large variety of multi-state and international tax audit issues related to A/R and A/P systems.
- Produced tax savings and refund recoveries on tax audits, reverse audits and claims for refund in excess of $150 million.
- All tax audits completed with minimal tax audit assessment.
- Proactively partnered with domestic and international taxing authorities in order to improve tax audit policies and procedures related to such items as Construction in a variety of taxing jurisdictions, as well as in-state sales tax refunds within California.
- Partnered with Legal and Finance on the use of appropriate contractual language from a tax and audit standpoint in connection with IT, construction and marketing purchase agreements.
- Developed appropriate audit controls to ensure that key purchase agreements do not result in additional tax audit exposure. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Tax Manager at Intuit Inc. (1999-01 – 2003-12)
- Managed multi-state sales and use tax compliance, tax audits, mergers and acquisitions and tax policy for the largest manufacturer and retailer of financial and tax preparation software.
- Successfully managed the sales & use tax integration from Oracle 10.7 to Oracle 11.i in order to ensure that the appropriate sales & use tax was determined for online sales of technology products and services in all states.
- Responsible for company tax policy as it relates to proper taxation of technology products and services on a multi-state basis.
- Realized annual tax savings on tax audits and other tax saving opportunities in excess of $5 million. All tax audits completed with minimal tax audit assessment.
Senior Tax Accountant at Amdahl Corporation (1997-01 – 1999-12)
- Reviewed and prepared multi-state sales and use tax returns, local returns, as well as miscellaneous local filings.
- Managed sales and use tax audits.
- Identified and resolved areas of tax exposure while creating opportunities for tax refunds.
- Experienced in Oracle, CLR Fast Tax and Excel. Realized annual tax savings on tax audits and other tax saving opportunities in excess of $1 million.
Sales and Use Tax Auditor at State Board of Equalization (1992-01 – 1997-12)
- Planned and conducted state sales & use tax audits.
- Researched and resolved issues affecting high-tech, manufacturing, and retail industries.
- Annual tax audit assessments in excess of $1 million with very few audit appeals.
Souvenir Concession Manager at Oakland Athletics Baseball Company (1990-01 – 1992-12)
- Managed distribution of souvenirs at baseball games.
- Monitored inventory, maintained accounting records and accounted for cash receipts.
Staff Tax Accountant at Schrambling & Associates (1989-01 – 1990-12)
- Prepared tax returns for personal service corporations and individuals.
- Completed year-end tax planning for the corporate officers.
Staff Auditor at Ernst & Young (1988-01 – 1989-12)
- Performed various audit procedures required of entry-level staff.
