Business License Tax

New Business Registration Services

When companies build in new markets, it is critical to know what taxes are owed and what registration processes are required. Whether an organization is opening its first location, or expanding into a new jurisdiction, it is imperative that business owners become familiar with new business registration policies and procedures.

Ryan’s suite of new business registration services helps clients make sound business decisions and guides them through the pitfalls of the tax registration process. Our professionals help clients determine what to register for and how to go about registering.

Additional New Business Registration services include:

• Taxpayer representation before local taxing agencies
• Apportionment calculations and negotiations
• Exposure calculations
• Prospective tax treatment resolutions
• Tax minimization strategies

Utility Users Tax Services

As states and cities continue to encounter financial duress, many jurisdictions are ramping up tax audits and imposing legislation to increase funding through taxes. One area of focus is on the Utility Users Tax. Local jurisdictions are not only increasing Utility Users Tax audits, they’re also attempting to include previously untaxed and exempt items such as cell phones, pure data, and T1 lines.

While many jurisdictions attempt to expand the definition of communications in ways that contravene the Internet Tax Freedom Act, Ryan is arming clients with services to minimize the impact on their organization, including:

• Taxpayer representation before local taxing agencies
• Apportionment calculations and negotiations
• Exposure calculations
• Prospective tax treatment resolutions
• Litigation support
• Taxability determination

Audit Representation Services

Ryan represents our clients’ interests during tax audits to ensure they pay only their fair share of taxes. We manage the audit process from beginning to end, ensuring that we minimize our client’s burden to the fullest extent possible. Our professionals handle the arduous process of producing records for the state and securing files required to build the case, determining which issues merit an appeal and the likelihood of success for each. We manage the day-to-day information flow between our client and the taxing authority to ensure timely, complete, and accurate responses and assist with accelerated dispute resolution processes to reduce the costs and other burdens associated with audit defense activities. As needed, we meet with auditors, dispute resolution officers, administrative hearings attorneys, and other agents to clearly identify all positions that impact our client’s ability to achieve a favorable outcome. 

Our Audit Representation provides a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Audit coordination
• Audit review and opportunity assessment
• Audit sampling analysis and evaluation
• Controversies and appeals
• Responses for information and document requests
• Risk assessments
• Tax audit representation
• Tax compliance and reporting evaluation
• Taxability determinations
• Voluntary disclosure and registration

Controversies and Appeals Services

Ryan is dedicated to resolving tax disputes expeditiously by assisting clients with controversy resolution and legislative services, as well as protecting the rights of taxpayers through honest and fair public policy. We’re aggressive but professional. We understand the importance of constructive relationships with taxing authorities. We also understand that respect is earned. From informal conferences to administrative level appeals, our goal is to resolve tax controversies quickly and professionally. And when disputes can’t be resolved through simple negotiation, we’re prepared to fight for our clients’ interests for as long as it takes.

Ryan is also uniquely positioned to protect our clients’ interests against adverse tax legislation, clarify and understand ambiguities in the tax laws, and provide an effective voice at the table when these bills are under consideration. With a rich background in political lobbying, advocacy, and a deep expertise in tax administration, our professionals have a keen ability to understand the potential impacts of tax legislation on our clients. We deliver solutions and strategies that seek legislative relief and deliver value to our clients’ bottom line.

Voluntary Disclosures and Negotiation Services

Ryan’s Voluntary Disclosure and Registration services assist corporations in negotiating voluntary disclosure agreements (VDAs) with the most favorable results possible. We have experts in each tax specialty who have assisted clients with VDAs in many jurisdictions. We assist clients with single or multiple negotiation requirements, involving one or multiple tax issues. Ryan professionals have years of experience and maintain constant contact with the tax jurisdictions to ensure the most up-to-date VDA information is readily available to our clients.

As part of any engagement with a client, we first analyze all of the facts attributed to the business and activities taking place in a respective jurisdiction. We then work with our client to determine potential exposure and possible methods to minimize that exposure. This process might entail determining whether a client’s customers have accrued and remitted tax, the customers’ current audit status, and possible back billing of taxes. We customize each project to maximize client value and simultaneously interact with multiple jurisdictions, so we can efficiently complete the engagement. In all instances, our clients receive a closing agreement or a signed agreement with each tax jurisdiction to clearly define their exposure.

Ryan assists clients in registering and settling past taxes, if applicable, and paying the correct amount required under each jurisdiction’s VDA program. We are often able to negotiate prospective agreements when our client’s fact pattern presents the opportunity.

Our Voluntary Disclosure and Registration services include:

• Customer examinations for tax accrued, remitted, and audit status
• Exposure identification and calculation
• Payment remittance
• Prospective agreement negotiation
• Registration and past tax settlement
• Tax minimization strategies