In our multi-state tax consulting practice in Silicon Valley, we often see that sales tax is an afterthought in companies’ finance departments. Why? Many companies have net operating losses (NOLs) for income tax purposes, and they often don’t consider the ramifications of sales tax. Further, many of our clients sell intangible products—like software, Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, or digitally downloaded information—and those items don’t seem to be taxable. Plus, in California most of those items do qualify for sales tax exemptions; but that’s not the case in all states. As such, with an already long “to do” list, CFOs and corporate controllers may not put sales tax concerns on the front burner. In a recent blog post, we explained why it’s not a good idea for a company’s corporate controller to take on the burden of sales tax. In some organizations, however, these responsibilities fall to the CFO. This post explains why this likely isn’t the best option, either.

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