After spending two years transitioning to a new sales tax system, the residents of British Columbia are finally ready to embrace their Harmonized Sales Tax. Just kidding, they axed it.

British Columbia’s Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) has been in effect for just over a year. The tax, which combined the country’s 7 percent Provincial Sales Tax with Canada’s 5 percent Goods and Services Tax, has been widely unpopular since it was first announced more than two years ago.

Another year, another attempt at the Main Street Fairness Act.

With billions of dollars worth of sales tax going uncollected, legislators and big box retailers are once again joining forces to promote online sales tax collection.

Last week, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Representatives John Conyers of Michigan and Peter Welch of Vermont introduced the Main Street Fairness Act to both houses of Congress. The bill, which was also introduced last year but never voted on, would simplify – or overcomplicate – sales tax collection, depending on whom you talk to.

Anyone who frequents the News section of The Accounts Payable Channel knows that there is never a shortage of fraud stories. As long as there are opportunities to exploit weak financial internal controls, people are going to take advantage of them.

I've read quite a few fraud stories during the past few weeks. What makes these stories particularly interesting is that they show the wide range of positions fraudsters can hold in their organizations. A fraud perpetrator can be anyone from an executive with a six-figure salary to a small town government official.

The percentage of organizations that have implemented AP technology has increased during the past three years, indicating that most businesses see the benefits of automation. However, the percentage of companies identifying themselves as highly automated is still small.

In benchmarking surveys, The Accounts Payable Network routinely asks participants to indicate the level of automation they have achieved. TAPN first asked the question in a December 2008 study on invoices processed per FTE.

Last week’s catastrophic tornado outbreak stands as a stark reminder of why it’s important for all organizations to have a disaster recovery plan.

According to an article published by CNN, the tornadoes that tore through the Southeast April 27 and 28 were part of the second most deadly tornado outbreak in U.S. history. The official death toll is at 337. The storm also holds the record for the most tornadoes created in a single day, with at least 11 reported.

The European payments landscape has changed considerably in the last decade.

Regulation has enabled many companies to collapse individual country structures and transact their pan European banking operations in an increasingly efficient and cost effective manner.

The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) comprises the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Three key factors in the last decade have opened up the SEPA zone enabling companies to consolidate their payment related activities with fewer banks, bank accounts and associated bank systems.

I originally started this particular blog entry back in January with little more than a title and some rough ideas. Unsurprisingly, it got bumped to the back of the bus thanks to a very busy first quarter and also helping to get the 2011 TAPN AP Leadership Conference ready for the curtain to go up April 11th!

Several months ago, one of the most sweeping financial reforms in U.S. history became law. While the law promised new protections and incentives to encourage whistleblowers to step forward, these provisions have failed to materialize.

The Dodd-Frank act was passed in response to the financial crisis of the late 2000s. Although the primary intent was to strengthen the banking system and increase transparency on Wall Street, the law also created a Whistleblower Office at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

New purchase card reporting rules are now in effect!

When I first learned that the IRS was taking the burden of reporting p-card payments on a 1099 away from the payers and into the hands of the payment processors, like many of you I figured it was too good to be true.

It is the holiday season again and shoppers are lining up outside retail stores intent on scratching every name off their Christmas lists. Actually, this image may not be entirely accurate, as more people than ever are doing their Christmas shopping online.

While this is great for businesses looking to increase their cash reserves, it’s terrible news for cash-strapped state governments. In many cases, shoppers pay no sales tax on holiday gifts purchased online.