CLIENT

Based in the US, our client and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories.

CHALLENGE

The restaurant industry faces unique sales and use tax compliance challenges, particularly for national and multinational companies. There are highly-nuanced food and beverage tax considerations, compounded by the many state and local tax jurisdictions and rates. Because of this, our client had kept US transaction tax compliance operations in-house for many years and was apprehensive that an outside firm could handle the volume and complexities of the work.

Keeping the compliance work in-house posed several issues:

  • The company filed up to 14,000 returns a year, requiring a department of full-time employees dedicated to compliance work
  • Staff resources were underutilized and needed to be reallocated to more valuable projects
  • The tax department was anticipating a reduction of internal compliance resources and continuity due to the upcoming retirements of key decision-makers and compliance staff members

SOLUTION

DMA understood our client was apprehensive about outsourcing an important business function that had always been performed in-house. Therefore, we proposed a comprehensive and phased approach to compliance implementation. Our team committed to having a resource on-site at the company’s headquarters during the onboarding process, and the implementation team provided subject matter expertise in the food and beverage tax vertical. And, because DMA does not outsource any of its compliance operations, our client felt confident that a dedicated team of professionals was managing the work.

RESULT

The phased approach to implementation led to the successful transition of our client’s entire US tax compliance operation to DMA. Resources were reallocated, and the company was able to absorb the staff retirements.

Because of the project’s success, DMA has become an extension of our client’s tax department in two key ways:

  • DMA has since been engaged for personal property tax compliance, real and personal property tax reviews, and other projects
  • Our proprietary tax software has robust food and beverage tax content, allowing us to expertly service our client and the food and beverage industry

WHY DMA?

DMA has a commitment to exceptional client service and results. We are flexible and will customize a solution that adheres to a client’s business objectives and organizational culture. We do not outsource or offshore any of our compliance operations so that clients can feel confident in our dedicated team.

TRANSACTION TAX DONE RIGHT

Outsource your sales and use tax compliance needs to DMA’s fully US-based compliance team, and allow your tax team to focus on higher priorities.

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