Episode 6

full
Published on:

5th Oct 2020

COST’s role in the tax conversation, a Discussion With Nikki Dobay

In this episode of the SALTovation podcast, we speak with Nikki Dobay, Senior Tax Counsel for Council of State Taxation (COST), and our very own Judy Vorndran.

Nikki uses her expertise to explain how COST plays into the tax conversations and the inner workings of the state tax brain trust. She also discusses how COST decides what issues they focus on. Listen to how she explains how the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) was formed and why smaller businesses should get involved in the MTC.


Questions asked and answered in this Episode:


  • How did Nikki shift from public accounting to COST and back to a law firm?


  • What role does COST play in the tax conversation?


  • Where does COST focus their efforts?


  • How can small sellers get involved in the MTC?

 


What You Will Discover:


 


  • [01:14] How Nikki navigated her career


  • [09:26] What role does COST play in the tax conversation


  • [20:13] How does COST decide what they get involved in


  • [24:29] How Nikki thinks of the Oregon Corporate Activity Tax


  • [28:53] How to determine state nexus


  • [35:37] What is some advice for small sellers to get involved in the MTC?


  • [42:39] Outro

 


Quotables:


 


  • “Somebody did tell me early on when I was very nervous because I had to testify about unclaimed property, which I know nothing about. And the person just said ‘I guarantee you even if you know almost nothing, you know more than they know. Just walk in there. You’re the smartest person in the room on this and just say whatever you think will help.” - Nikki Dobay [05:07]


  • “What I have come to see going from the biggest firm in the world into a regional firm was how much that vote gets missed for the little guys. And the big guys can afford to pay someone like you. They can afford to hire someone internally as a lobbyist.” - Judy Vorndran [17:02]


  • “It just seems like the state shouldn’t be able to dictate what the federal law says. It’s not their job to interpret this federal law and whether or not it applies.” - Nikki Dobay [34:15]


  • “I think it’s a voice that really gets lost and the states don’t hear about it. They don’t think about it and they don’t understand that these decisions are having significant impacts on small businesses and mid-size businesses that are really just trying to make it and you’re going to crush them with state tax compliance for what reason.” - Nikki Dobay [36:12]

 


Relevant Links:


 


Website: https://www.cost.org/about-cost/staff/nikki-e.-dobay


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-e-dobay-10a018a


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Production Support

This episode was produced with support from Truth Work Media. www.truthworkmedia.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Advanced Sales and Use Tax Workshop

Take your sales tax to the next level at Advanced Sales and Use Tax Workshop, February 19-21 in Nashville. Diane Yetter and the Sales Tax Institute’s industry-leading faculty provide individualized training, valuable resources, and practical solutions. Expand your network and earn 23 CPE credits. Visit the link in the show notes and use the code SALTOV10 for 10% off. Save your spot now!" https://keap.page/xp141/saltovation-podcast.htm

Use Tax Workshop

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About the Podcast

SALTovation: Making Sense of State and Local Tax
Welcome to SALTovation. The SALTovation show is a podcast series featuring the leading voices in state and local tax (SALT). Here we talk about issues, strategies, and planning tools to help you make sense of SALT. Because, in SALT, there is no “one and done.” SALT is a puzzle of ever-changing pieces. Solving that puzzle is our business at SALTovation. Tens of thousands of listeners know they won't get tax talk as usual with the SALTovation team. Our team is known for straight-talk with a flair for fun, providing clarity and opinions that move businesses forward with confidence.

Attorney, CPA, speaker, and writer Judy Vorndran leads the SALTovation team as they go inside business to help deal with the daily operations and long-term strategies of making SALT less “taxing.” Judy has spent more than 25 years advocating for businesses with innovative strategies, renowned knowledge and experience. She has helped guide thousands of taxpayers across the nation and globally through the morass of SALT, freeing them to concentrate on growth. Joining Judy are the wickedly smart members of the SALTovation team, who have seen, worked with and tamed some of the most prickly issues in SALT. They enjoy sharing their stories and knowledge with listeners.

Solving the SALT puzzle doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it takes a community. So, we invite leaders in business and state and local tax to share their stories, challenges and successes on this show. Drop us a line at SALTovation.com if you'd like to join the conversation and tune into our regular series at TaxOps.com.