Ignoring professional technology services by a tax department can have several significant costs and consequences. Here are some of the potential drawbacks:

1. Inefficiency and Error-Prone Processes: Without the assistance of professional technology services, tax departments may rely on outdated or manual processes for data entry, calculations, and reporting. This can lead to inefficiencies and a higher likelihood of errors in tax returns and financial statements.
2. Compliance Risks: Tax laws and regulations are constantly changing. Failing to keep up with these changes can lead to non-compliance and the risk of penalties or legal issues. Professional technology services can help tax departments to avoid non-compliance.
3. Data Security Concerns: Tax departments handle sensitive and confidential information. Ignoring professional technology services can expose this data to unintentional security breaches and cyberattacks. Tax IT professionals  can implement robust security measures to protect sensitive data.
4. Missed Opportunities: Tax Technology professionals can help tax departments to efficiently identify potential deductions that can save a company significant taxable income. Without Tax IT expertise, opportunities for tax savings may be overlooked.
5. Inefficient Resource Allocation: Tax department personnel usually spend a significant amount of time on manual and repetitive tasks. On the hand, a competent and trusted Tax IT professional can easily automate these processes by creating repeatable solutions that will significantly reduce the time to perform the repetitive tasks. Any inefficient resource allocation can limit a tax department’s ability to focus on strategic tax planning.
6. Lack of Data Analytics: Professional tax technology services can provide tax departments with the tools and skills to analyze large volumes of financial data. This can be valuable for making informed business decisions and optimizing tax strategies.
   
7. Competitive Disadvantage: Companies that leverage tax technology and professional services in their tax departments are often more competitive in their industries. Failing to do so can put a company at a disadvantage against competitors who are more technologically advanced.
8. Reputation Damage: Costly errors or compliance issues stemming from DIY processes can harm a company’s reputation. Negative publicity and customer trust issues can result from tax-related mishaps.
9. Increased Costs in the Long Run: While it may seem like a cost-saving measure to avoid professional tax technology services, the long-term costs of inefficiencies, compliance issues, and missed opportunities can outweigh any short-term savings.
10. Resource Drain: In the absence of professional tax technology services, tax departments may require more staff and resources to handle data transformation and reporting tasks. This can be a significant drain on the organization’s budget and human resources.

In summary, ignoring professional tax technology services can result in inefficiencies, compliance risks, data security concerns, missed opportunities, and competitive disadvantages. While there may be short-term cost savings in a tax department’s DIY approach, the long-term consequences can be substantial and negatively impact the organization’s financial health and reputation. It is often advisable to invest in professional and affordable tax technology services to streamline the manual tax processes to ensure compliance and efficiency in the tax process.

Have a question on tax technology? Need a fresh set of eyes on how your systems tax technology processes can be improved?Contact Alex Fazelat, Tax Technology Solutions.