Why Tax Departments Need to Build Technology Roadmaps

Discover the importance of indirect tax in your technology roadmap.

Vertex Inc.

Article Overview

Automation is key to improving regulatory reporting, audit performance, managing returns, maximizing staff efficiency, and more.

As governments continue to introduce legislation that gives them visibility into companies’ data, systems, and processes, tax leaders are pressured to create their own digital transformation and respond with system changes that improve compliance, planning, and audit work.

Page through this featured article from SAPInsider, featuring thought leadership from Mike Bernard – Chief Tax Officer, Indirect Taxes at Vertex Inc. and Lane Leskela – Business Development Director, SAP as they discuss how indirect tax technology can add business value through automation and intelligent technologies and why it’s important to develop a technology roadmap that includes tax.

Featured Vertex Expert

Michael J. Bernard, Chief Tax Officer – Transaction Tax at Vertex Inc. Vertex's Chief Tax Office (CTO) provides insight regarding the impact of tax regulations, policy, enforcement, and emerging technology trends on global tax department operations.

Michael J. Bernard

Chief Tax Officer, Transaction Tax

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Michael Bernard is the Chief Tax Officer of Transaction Tax. In his role, he provides insight and thought leadership around tax department operations, U.S. indirect tax, tax risk management, and tax policy, as well as emerging tax trends. He is an executive-level tax attorney with a diverse portfolio of experience in corporate tax, administration, and finance, including a substantive knowledge of U.S. and international tax laws.

Prior to joining Vertex, Michael was in various tax leadership roles at Microsoft Corporation for 28 years, the most recent being Senior Director – Tax Counsel. Michael led teams in the following functional areas: direct and indirect tax controversy, sales and use, business license, property, tax IT, SOX, and telecommunications. He also co-led a corporate taxpayer advocacy group with the Washington Department of Revenue and was a Director on the Board of the Washington Research Council. Michael has also testified before administrative and lawmakers at both the federal and state level.

Michael earned both a J.D. and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Creighton University. He is a part-time lecturer of Law in the LLM program at the University of Washington School of Law. Michael also served on the board of directors, executive committee, and chaired committees for The Tax Executives Institute (TEI) for nearly 25 years.

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SAP S/4HANA integrates seamlessly with Vertex to provide businesses a simplified way of handling sales, use, and value added tax process. Automate tax today to save your business time and effort, and reduce overall compliance risk.