(More Information About SST)
19 States Vote “Yes” To Certify Avalara as Certified Service Provider (CSP) for Streamlined Sales Tax Project
Software-As-A-Service Solution - AvaTax™ - Removes Sales Tax Hassle, Assures Compliance with SST Rules
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – May 5, 2006: A thirteen-month certification process ended today as the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board – the group overseeing implementation of Streamlined Sales Tax, now in force in 19 states –named Avalara (http://www.avalara.com), as one of just three firms selected to operate as Certified Service Providers for the program. The contract formalizing the agreement is to be signed at noon on Friday, May 5, 2006 at the National Conference of State Legislatures, meeting in Philadelphia.
“Having CSPs like Avalara coming online is a milestone for the Streamlined Sales Tax initiative, as CSPs offer crucial automation options to businesses registering to collect tax under Streamlined rules. As contracts are signed today at this assembly, I congratulate Avalara, as well as the other CSPs certified this month, for undergoing the certification process and meeting the stringent requirements of each member state and the SST Certification Committee,” commented SST Executive Director, Scott Peterson.
“Avalara has made a significant mark in accounting technology over recent years with its easy-to-use, integrated solutions for small and medium businesses,” explained CPA technology educator and columnist, Randy Johnston. It is excellent news for businesses looking to take advantage of the SST program that Avalara is among the Certified Service Providers.”
According to tax accounting industry observer and analyst Rick Telberg, a principal at Bay Street Group, "Avalara is the pioneer in the SMB space in the tax service category - none of the other firms in the tax and accounting field have anything like their visibility and presence in this marketplace."
“SST Certification is a critical addition to the benefits of sales tax automation we are already providing our customers,” said Rory Rawlings, Avalara’s Founder and Chief Tax Automation Officer. Avalara has long been a leader in the SMB sales tax calculations market, assisting more than 2,600 licensed users and currently running an average of 5 transactions per second, 24/7/365.
Avalara is the only one of the three CSPs that focuses on small and medium (SMB) businesses. “The unique way Avalara solves the sales tax compliance hassle is a perfect format-fit for the requirements of collection under Streamlined rules.” Rawlings explained. “Our flagship product line, AvaTax™, links Avalara’s centrally-maintained, SST-certified sales tax engine to the user’s accounting package or e-commerce system, so there’s no change to the user’s existing work-flow. In providing SST services to the SMB market, we will be making use of our extensive range of integrations with SMB accounting software packages.” AvaTax supports QuickBooks®, Microsoft Dynamics™ GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Epicor’s iScala, Sage MAS 90/200 ERP, Sage MAS 500 ERP, and Sage Accpac ERP.
Under SST, businesses will be able to outsource sales tax compliance functions to Avalara, which will determine and calculate the tax, then report and remit taxes to the states on behalf of those businesses. This will all be done automatically, in real time, and completely behind the scenes – just as Avalara works now for more than 2,600 licensed users. As an incentive to participate, businesses that register to collect sales tax under SST rules and adopt Avalara’s automated sales tax calculation service will receive protection from audit, protection from liability for mistakes in calculation, may qualify for amnesty, and in many cases, the service will be free of charge to the company using AvaTax. More information on provisions of SST to participating businesses can be found at http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org.
About AvaTax™
An SMB market-leading, Web-service-based sales tax solution, AvaTax instantly and accurately calculates sales tax for clients in any of the more than 8,000 taxing jurisdictions in North America; provides detailed, real-time reporting; and automatically generates pre-populated sales tax returns. Currently, more than 2,600 licensed AvaTax users run an average of 5 sales tax calculation transactions through Avalara’s sales tax engine every second.
AvaTax comes integrated with SMB financial applications serving more businesses than any other solution on the market today, including Microsoft Dynamics™ GP, Microsoft Dynamics™ NAV, Intuit’s QuickBooks, Sage Software’s Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage MAS 200 ERP, Sage MAS 500 ERP, Sage Accpac ERP and Epicor’s iScala. Additionally, with AvaTax On-Demand™, developers can integrate Avalara’s sales tax Web service with any e-commerce, third party or custom-build solution with use of a comprehensive Software Developer’s Kit (SDK).
About Avalara
Headquartered on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, Washington, Avalara is changing the sales tax landscape by delivering innovative and affordable solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. Avalara’s mission is to transform the sales tax compliance process by creating cost-effective, state-of-the-art solutions. Avalara does so through integrated, on-demand, Web-based services that provide transparent transactions, accurate tax compliance, painless administration and effortless reporting.
For more information about Avalara, contact:
Ned Barnett, ned@barnettmarcom.com, 702-696-1200
Daryl Toor, dtoor@attentiongroup.com, 770-777-9489
Christina Opalka, christinao@avalara.com, 206.780.7035
