Tax Performance Advisory Services

Exploring the possible. Enabling change.

Companies are under increasing pressure to improve performance and lead the way with sound fi nancial management. At the same time, their tax departments are feeling the added pressure of the demands that come from outside the business with escalating regulatory and transparency requirements. For companies looking to make sustainable improvements — whether via full-scale transformation or incremental enhancements — this is an effort with broad implications. It’s an effort that can benefi t from the input, insights and experience, as well as the fresh eye, of an objective advisor.

Ernst & Young LLP’s tax performance advisory (TPA) services can help you take a closer look at your corporate tax function. This fundamentally different look explores the possible, by moving outside the box of how the tax department operates and integrates itself within the company. We work with companies to develop approaches and identify options that improve their tax processes, data and operations. We bring a fresh, experienced and independent perspective to addressing your tax operational challenges.

The goal? To improve the end-to-end business processes that drive tax performance — building a better working world by helping you achieve a better-performing tax function.

What it means to explore the possibleWe know that many tax function activities are based on time-consuming processes and fi xed requirements. But timely returns and fi nancial reporting are just the starting point, and a high-functioning tax department can be a critical element in the success of an overall business strategy. Our approach is to transform your tax function to shift its resources and efforts to higher-value, strategic activities while effi ciently meeting its day-to-day responsibilities. Our TPA services offer an end-to-end review of your business processes, bringing the technology skills, management knowledge and tax experience necessary to discover ways to automate processes, enhance the usability (and re-usability) of data and operationalize performance improvements.

Sound like a tall order? What makes it achievable is our approach. Broadly speaking, that means working with you, listening to the challenges and issues that defi ne your tax function, applying leading practices and co-developing the blueprint for taking your tax function to the next level.

For some companies, this may encompass a full-scale change in the tax function: designing and implementing refi ned processes, controls, roles and responsibilities; evaluating and implementing technology; and providing training, procedures and other deployment support. It could also mean facilitating tax’s role in an enterprise-wide fi nance transformation and determining whether tax requirements are defi ned and tax data captured at the right level in new enterprise systems.

Another option we offer is focused change to achieve specifi c goals for process integration. That could include helping you to confi gure technology tools to automate and standardize your income, transfer pricing or indirect tax processes. Or we could work with you to move away from a large volume of complex spreadsheets and automate your provision, compliance, fi xed asset or other reporting. We can also assist with post-acquisition data cleanup and conversion from legacy systems.

No single solution is right for everyone. Our approach is based on a collaborative process of exploring the possible to determine what’s right for you.

What sustainable success looks likeTax transformation puts you on the path to continuous improvement, with an ongoing workable framework in process, technology, competency and skill sets. As we understand what you value — faster response to the business, reduced risk, lower ETR, timely tax planning, improved cash fl ow — TPA will deliver the blueprint for a workable framework and operationalize it. The result? Standardized, streamlined, repeatable processes and associated controls that integrate the tax life cycle and enable higher quality, greater effi ciency and more cost-effective use of your tax resources. You’ll have the tools, methodology and capabilities necessary to sustain the improvements and embed them in the way you operate.

Harnessing the potential of your tax function

We improve the end-to-end business processes that drive tax performance — building a better working world by helping you achieve a better-performing tax function.

Enable change

• Income tax• Statutory reporting• Indirect tax• Transfer pricing

Efficiencies with tax-related

technology

Effective and controlled processes

Responsive operating models

and metrics

Value and quality of tax

data in financial systems

Tax Performance Advisory ServicesExplore the possible

About Ernst & Young Ernst & Young LLP is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

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Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.

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This publication contains information in summary form and is therefore intended for general guidance only. It is not intended to be a substitute for detailed research or the exercise of professional judgment. Neither Ernst & Young LLP nor any other member of the global Ernst & Young organization can accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in this publication. On any specific matter, reference should be made to the appropriate advisor.

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Ernst & Young Why Ernst & Young LLPWe’re market leaders. We have a dedicated practice with resources across the Americas and the world. We are a market leader for process design and tax department re-engineering services.

We’re certified implementers. We’ve been through extensive training and certification with such software products as Corptax, Longview, ONESOURCE, Vertex and Global Integrator, which means we know the tools and understand what they are — and are not — supposed to do.

We offer a comprehensive view. We look at tax technology and processes in the context of your entire tax function and the complete tax life cycle to understand how they fit into the company’s overall technology and process environment. We also take a holistic approach to your data and help you leverage it as the blueprint for a high-functioning tax department.

We speak the language of tax. We’re tax professionals with competencies beyond those of traditional system integrators. We can identify and explain tax needs, root causes and risks across the company, serving as “multilingual translators” who can speak the languages of tax, finance, IT and audit.

For more informationTo find out how your tax department — and your enterprise as a whole — can benefit from our tax performance advisory services and tax transformation, contact one of our TPA professionals or your local Ernst & Young LLP Tax practice representative.