Allyn International Brushes Up On Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement

Members of the Allyn International tax department completed training on regulations and requirements for the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA). The training focused on SSUTA exemption certification.

Fort Myers, Florida (I-Newswire) December 4, 2012 - Members of Allyn International (Allyn) Tax Department completed training on regulations and requirements for the Streamlined Sales & Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA.) The instruction focused on the SSUTA exemption certification, which is accepted in 24 states; 44 states have passed conforming SSUTA legislation.

The SSUTA was created by the National Governor’s Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures in 1990 to simplify sales tax collection. The simplification of sales tax administration, the SSUTA Governing Board maintains, is improved through tax law simplification, efficient administrative procedures and emerging technologies.

According to Trisha Davidson, Allyn tax director, “The process has been streamlined, which means is critical to know the requirements for exemption certificates and have a solid process in place for exemption certificate management.”

For exemption certificates, the SSUTA agreement helps simplify sales tax uniformly, providing similar language in each accepted state and rate simplification. This means that companies doing sales tax audits can use a standard exemption certificate, instead of individual state forms.

“Allyn uses a custom proprietary software, TIMS™, for exemption certificate management combined with a solid, proven process,” added Davidson. “Our approach, combined with the simplification that SSUTA is working toward is a winning combination.”

According to the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board, fourteen hundred retailers collect sales tax in Streamlined states under a voluntary system. Those 1,400 retailers have collected over $700 million in sales tax for Streamlined states, but that is a very small fraction of the amount of sales tax that remains uncollected. Some studies estimate that states lose billions a year in uncollected sales tax and it could reach as much as $23 billion by 2012.