In looking to what progress has been made in standardization and simplification of tax processes since 2009, we now find that more tax departments are actively working to make their global tax processes and controls more uniform.
The majority of respondents now rate the level of standardization of their tax controls, policies and procedures as “standardized” or “very standardized”. Responsibilities and accountabilities of tax personnel are the most standardized areas. Similarly, more than half of respondents report standardization of tax compliance activities across the annual cycle — from forecasts of tax expense or ETRs and annual provision processes through to compliance and tax return processes. This, of course, leaves a sizeable minority still to reap the benefits of greater standardization. It is also worth noting that respondents say wider tax processes and technologies are the least likely to be standardized.
“One of the things that we will continue to focus on is automating the provision process to automate our transaction tax preparation.”
— Tax director of a US-based communications company
This drive for standardization is clearly gaining support: the number of respondents who say finance leadership drives standardization of their tax department strongly or relentlessly rose from 37 percent in 2009 to 51 percent in 2012. We believe this trend will continue as companies consider the performance and structure of their finance function and ask how the tax department can contribute.
Another indicator of progress in standardization is the level of investment in tax process improvement and technology. Interestingly, 74 percent of respondents in the current survey report they are satisfied with the levels of investment in tax technology and process improvement. Given that levels of standardization are lowest for tax processes and technologies,
and that the majority of time is still spent on compliance and reporting, we would expect less satisfaction with current levels
of investment.
In the current difficult economic, and thus investment environment, respondents may be reluctant to admit that they need more budget for projects. However, the majority of respondents say they already have projects in progress that could explain the current funding satisfaction. Whatever the reason, this level of investment focus is encouraging for the future if the amount of time on routine day-to-day activities is to be more comparable to that spent on more strategic activities.
How would you rate the level of standardization for your tax department globally in the following areas?
5 = very standardized; 1 = not at all standardized
3.76
3.69
Controls
3.84
Responsibilities and accountabilities of tax personnel
3.59
Policies and procedures
3.63
Learning, development and career path for tax personnel
3.54
Processes
3.43
Technologies
Source: KPMG International 2012©