States have been under enormous pressure to balance budgets without raising taxes. With so many Americans still unemployed or under-employed, states are bringing in reduced sales and income tax revenues while being asked to provide expanded social services. As a result, states have been increasing the number of audits they perform and they’re using high-tech methods to examine every penny. Keep in mind that this audit-your-way-to-fiscal-balance-method works very well, but it has made it necessary to hire many new and inexperience auditors. Some of these hires have very little training and are often learning while on the job. While audits can be somewhat less enjoyable than passing a kidney stone, there are some simple steps you can take to help get you through the pain and survive an audit.
Remember, audits are like the holidays -they seem to sneak up on you out of the blue, they create chaos, and you have to spend a lot of time with people you don’t really care for. You’ll get through it, I promise. Just smile, play nice, and stock up on Alka-Seltzer. And when it’s over, if you feel the need for a little passive-aggressive payback, you can always thank your auditor with a nice fruit cake left over from last Christmas.
Charles F. Spielmann is a consultant to Zip2Tax where he shares his years of experience in sales and use tax.
Chuck’s Google Profile
Comments will be approved before showing up.