đ¤ˇââď¸ TL;DR After 15 years in tax-tech, on a mission to develop market insights, will share and give back to the community, starting by sharing 156 Jobs, 25 events, 4 hours of learning and 1 vendor profile (SOVOS).
⤠Welcome to the Nexus
Hi! Iâm Paul and Iâve spent the last 15 years in the tax technology market, particularly indirect tax and mainly VAT, working across the 3 largest SaaS providers in the space. I never set out to love tax technology but along the way I came to, and the main reason for that is YOU, the incredible community of hyper smart, talented and driven professionals that build, buy, operate and implement this stuff.
Iâve always thought that I undersood this market pretty well and have always been passionate about sharing my knowledge but thereâs a huge amount I donât know, like new players, products and markets (oh and the whole direct tax space!) and now that I have a bit of time on my hands - after being involved in 2 IPOâs, several acquisitions and many hundreds of hires - Iâm setting out to fuel my curiosity and find out more, and I want to help you by sharing what I find.
In this substack Iâll be sharing new job, networking and learning opportunities as well as market updates and analyses and my aim is to share this all with you weekly.
In doing so, my purpose is to help create a highly connected, educated & mobile community of tax technology professionals and my belief is that by linking individuals to companies, and buyers to sellers, weâll drive professional development and technology adoption to further propel this market, thatâs The Nexus.
Nexus /ËnÉksÉs / Noun
a connection or series of connections linking two or more things.
a central or focal point.
a sufficient legal connection or presence between a business and a taxing jurisdiction that creates an obligation for the e
Hopefully this wonât all be one-way and Iâd love nothing more than to connect personally with each and every reader, so please feel free to get in touch.
đąâđ¤ Vendor Spotlight
Sovos: RollâUp or Platform? How Sovos Really Lands in VAT, CTC and SAP
Sovos isnât selling âtax softwareâ; itâs selling wiring for governments and global enterprises that now live inside CTC and realâtime reporting regimes. As eâinvoicing mandates turn compliance into infrastructure, Sovos wants to be the global backbone rather than one more US sales tax plugin.
What Sovos actually is:
Sovos is a PEâbacked indirect tax platform covering VAT/GST and US sales & use determination, eâinvoicing and CTC, VAT/SUT/SAFâT reporting, managed filing services, analytics, and deep ERPâgrade integrations. Its centre of gravity is SAP, NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics, anchored in North America, Europe, complex CTC markets in LATAM and Turkey, and a growing APAC footprint via the IRIS acquisition. Public sources indicate roughly 2,048â2,700 employees and estimated annual revenue around 500â550m USD, with indirect tax as the primary engine rather than a sidecar. In practice, Sovos is the vendor you consider when you want one provider to own determination + CTC/eâinvoicing + multiâjurisdiction reporting at enterprise scale instead of stitching together point tools.
Where it beats the market baseline:
Against the indirect tax baseline, Sovos is clearly above the line on global VAT/CTC coverage: VAT in 196 countries and 60+ CTC regimes is more than marketing gloss and exceeds what most USâcentric competitors can credibly claim. Its breadth across determination, multiâregime reporting/SAFâT, CTC/eâinvoicing, and managed services goes well beyond the âcalc + basic returnsâ bundle that defines table stakes in this market. SAP integration is a genuine asset: the SAP VAT addâon and ERP adapters repeatedly show up in enterprise reviews as a primary reason Sovos wins, not an afterthought checkbox. Where Sovos is only at or slightly below baseline is UX and developer experience â workflows feel heavy outside canned ERP paths, and APIânative disruptors will beat it on ergonomics for digital teams even if they lose on regulatory depth.
Portfolio analysis:
Under Hg and TA, Sovos has been assembled as a rollâup: legacy US sales tax and VAT, then LATAM and Turkey CTC specialists, then EU VAT/SAFâT vendors, and most recently IRIS in APAC plus NAAT.TECH in digital trust for signatures and identity. Directionally, Calculation, Reporting, and EâInvoicing & CTC each contribute roughly 20â35% of indirect tax revenue, with Managed Services adding 10â20% and Intelligence and Special Regimes sitting in the single digits. That mix tells you Sovos is not a niche CTC or US SUT shop; its P&L depends on maintaining depth across determination, reporting, and CTC, which aligns with buyers who want a broad, durable platform rather than a singleâregime bet. The flip side is architectural sprawl: acquisitions still surface as separate portals and uneven UX in reviews, so the âsingle platformâ narrative should be treated as a diligence item â which exact stack and country set will you actually be deployed on?
Business model and size band fits:
**Business model fit**
- B2B goods: **3 â Strong fit**; SAPâcentred B2B flows, complex VAT/exemptions, and CTC regimes line up cleanly with Sovosâ core strengths.
- B2C goods: **2â3 â Good to Strong fit**; compelling for omnichannel and crossâborder retail, overâtooled versus lighter APIânative tools for domesticâonly eâcommerce.
- B2B/B2C digital services: **2 â Good fit**; handles placeâofâsupply and OSSâstyle VAT, but integration into modern billing stacks brings friction.
- B2B/B2C services: **2â3 â Good to Strong fit**; aligns well with professional services and multiâoffice service models with VAT, SAFâT, and CTC obligations.
**Size band fit**
- Small: **1 â Patchy fit**; enterpriseâgrade suite and project overhead overwhelm typical small firms, and SMB/Taxify reviews highlight weak support and bill shock.
- Medium: **2â3 â Good to Strong fit**; midâmarket groups with multiâcountry VAT/CTC can justify the complexity if they treat Sovos as a strategic platform and bring governance.
- Large: **3 â Strong fit**; built for large enterprises needing VAT/CTC across 60+ countries with SAPâcentric integration and optional managed services at scale.
Customer and employee sentiments:
Customer sentiment is sharply bifurcated by segment. G2 and Gartner Peer Insights sit roughly in the 4.0â4.2/5.0 band with strong themes around product depth, SAP integration, and supportive implementation for flagship enterprise accounts. Capterra and TrustRadius â especially for SMB and legacy Taxify â trend negative, with stories of painful onboarding, sixâmonth tickets, disconnected phone lines, and renewal bills that materially exceed expectations.
Headline signals:
- G2 / Gartner: solid product ratings, strong commentary on VAT/CTC breadth and SAP integration for large SAPâcentric customers.
- Capterra / TrustRadius: lower scores driven by SMB complaints about support responsiveness, billing disputes, and portal UX.
- Glassdoor / Indeed: lowâtoâmidâ3s overall, with praise for smart colleagues and complex domain work but persistent themes of PEâstyle pressure, leadership churn, and uneven pay.
- RepVue: ~41% quota attainment, culture/leadership in the bottom 10% of software companies, and a grim futureâoutlook score, signalling a sales org under real strain.
Netânet, Sovos looks like a **topâtier platform with a twoâtier experience**: large, strategic accounts get strong attention; smaller and legacy customers carry meaningful execution and continuity
For prospective buyers:
If youâre a Large B2B or B2C goods group running SAP across 10+ VAT jurisdictions with CTC and SAFâT in play, Sovos belongs on your shortlist â but treat it as a multiâphase change programme and lock down architecture, transactionâcounting, support tiers, and named account governance in the contract. If youâre a Medium business with outsized complexity (fast crossâborder growth, regulated vertical), Sovos can be a strategic anchor provided you budget 3â6 months for implementation, ringâfence internal tax/IT time, and negotiate renewal mechanics hard. If youâre a digitalâfirst SaaS or marketplace, frame Sovos as the âheavyâ option: benchmark it, but also run a serious bakeâoff against APIânative calculation and CTC players that better match your engineering culture and velocity expectations. If youâre genuinely Small, assume Sovos is overâscaled for you unless you are in a highly regulated, multiâjurisdiction niche and can secure enterpriseâtier support despite your size; otherwise, youâre paying for breadth you wonât use and living with complexity you donât need.
For prospective employees:
- Good move if youâre a tax/regulatory content specialist or indirect tax SME who wants handsâon exposure to global VAT/CTC, ViDA, and SAFâT at scale and youâre comfortable with PEâstyle pace and change.
- Attractive if youâre a platform or integration engineer who enjoys untangling acquisitionâheavy architectures and ERP/CTC plumbing; less so if youâre optimising for greenfield, productâled growth environments.
- Higherârisk if youâre in sales (AE/BDR): RepVueâs ~41% quota attainment and bottomâdecile culture/leadership scores point to tough quotas, inconsistent leadership, and real burnout/churn risk.
- Mixed if youâre a CSM or postâsales leader: strategic enterprise accounts give you complex, careerâdefining problems; legacy/SMB segments expose you to underâresourced support models and renewal pressure.
- Netâneutral if youâre prioritising brand and remote flexibility over culture: Sovos offers a recognised name and complex domain experience, but Glassdoor/Indeed/RepVue signals mean you should walk in with firm nonânegotiables on leadership, progression, and workload.
Want a copy of the full 30+ page report? email me here
đ April Events
A selection of of opportunities to connect in person and interact online over the next few weeks:
Tax Forum Berlin 2026 (In-Person)
Meridian Global Services | April 14â15, 2026 | Federation of German Industries (BDI), Berlin, Germany
The flagship event for taxation in Germany, bringing together decision-makers from companies for a âby business for businessâ conference on the latest tax trends and challenges.
Event Page â
FIRE Is Ending: Are You Ready for Whatâs Next in 1099 and W-9 Compliance? (Webinar)
Avalara | April 14, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Covers the transition from the IRS FIRE system to IRIS and how businesses can prepare for new 1099 and W-9 filing methods.
Register â
EMEA Dbriefs â Platforms and GenAI: How Can Tax and Legal Teams Provide Strategic Value? (Webinar)
Deloitte | April 14, 2026, 12:00 BST | Online/Virtual
Discussion on how digital platforms and generative AI impact modern business operations and the strategic role tax and legal teams can play.
Register â
SYNAPSE Workshop New York 2026 (In-Person)
Fonoa | April 14, 2026 | New York, USA
Half-day workshop for indirect tax, payments, and finance leaders to discuss building smarter compliance systems and sharing practical strategies.
Register â
TaxScapes: Your Global Tax Compliance Roundup (Webinar)
Sovos | April 15, 2026 | Online/Virtual
A global tax compliance roundup discussing how the pace of indirect tax change is accelerating and what it means for businesses.
Register â
Tax Innovation Summit (In-Person)
VAT IT | April 15, 2026 | Abu Dhabi, UAE
A landmark conference focusing on the UAEâs e-invoicing rollout, AI in tax compliance, and building future-ready tax technology architectures.
Register â
Real-Time Tax: The Next Wave of Global E-Invoicing (Webinar)
RTC Suite | April 16, 2026, 13:00 CET | Online/Virtual
Practical overview of the latest global e-invoicing trends, covering the move from periodic to real-time tax and Continuous Transaction Control (CTC) models across the EU, GCC, and APAC regions.
Register â
Navigating the Tax Credit Transferability Market: Strategies and Insights (Webinar)
KPMG | April 16, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Explores the current state of the tax credit transferability market and practical strategies for executing transfers.
Register â
EMEA Dbriefs â Post-Merger Integration (PMI): Key Considerations (Webinar)
Deloitte | April 16, 2026, 12:00 BST | Online/Virtual
Webcast addressing the main tax, legal, and accounting considerations when integrating a business post-acquisition.
Register â
Ryan Talks: Top Tax-Saving Opportunities for UK Businesses and Beyond (Webinar)
Ryan | April 16, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Definitive guide to the top actionable tax-saving opportunities for UK businesses and beyond, with expert-led insights to reduce tax costs and enhance compliance.
Event Page â
Centralizing Your Global Statutory Reporting Process (Webinar)
Deloitte | April 16, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Practical considerations for assessing and centralising a global statutory reporting process to drive efficiency and consistency.
Register â
SYNAPSE Workshop Seattle 2026 (In-Person)
Fonoa | April 16, 2026 | Seattle, USA
Expert-led discussion and workshop focused on cutting through the noise in tax compliance and transforming operations with technology.
Register â
A Technical Guide to VAT Recovery (Webinar)
VAT IT | April 21, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Webinar on how US organisations can navigate global VAT reclaim and streamline compliance.
Register â
Future of Tax Compliance: Unlocking the Power of Data (Webinar)
Deloitte Belgium | April 21, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Explores the rapid evolution of tax compliance, new regulations, technology, and data-driven insights to manage tax obligations effectively.
Register â
Vertex Exchange Europe 2026 (In-Person)
Vertex Inc | April 21â22, 2026 | Vienna, Austria
Conference bringing together leading tax experts and peers for insights, innovation, and strategies to stay ahead of evolving indirect tax regulations.
Event Page â
EMEA Dbriefs â UK Tax Update: April (Webinar)
Deloitte | April 22, 2026, 12:00 BST | Online/Virtual
Briefing on recent changes to UK corporate tax, VAT, payroll taxes, and other duties, including relevant case law and HMRC guidance.
Register â
IRIS Technical Deep Dive: File Formats, Data, Schemas, and Validations (Webinar)
Sovos | April 22, 2026 | Online/Virtual
A technical deep dive into file formats, data, schemas, and validations for the IRS FIRE-to-IRIS transition.
Register â
2026 Americas Global Employer Services Summit (In-Person)
Deloitte | April 22â24, 2026 | Deloitte University, Westlake, Texas, USA
Summit for mobility industry leaders to discuss compliance, risk, and global talent strategies in a changing regulatory environment.
Event Page â
Unifying Provision and Pillar Two Compliance with Longview and Orbitax (Webinar)
Orbitax / insightsoftware | April 23, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Webinar on how tax teams can seamlessly connect provision and compliance processes for Pillar Two using an integrated Longview and Orbitax system.
Register â
ViDA and Real-Time VAT: Why Data Consistency Is the Next Compliance Challenge (Webinar)
Sovos | April 23, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Discussion on the EUâs VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative and why data consistency is the next critical compliance challenge for businesses.
Register â
AI in Exemption Certificate Management (Webinar)
Avalara | April 23, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Learn how Avalara uses AI to automate end-to-end exemption certificate management processes for faster and smarter compliance.
Register â
RICS Quarterly Webcast â April 2026 (Webinar)
KPMG | April 23, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Key domestic and international tax developments influencing investment and compliance decisions for regulated investment companies.
Register â
Supply Chain Academy (In-Person)
KPMG Belgium | April 23, 2026 | KPMG Zaventem, Belgium
Four sessions expanding knowledge of global trade, customs, and sustainable supply chain practices for compliance professionals.
Register â
Brewing Finance Transformation (In-Person)
Basware | April 23, 2026 | Paulaner am Nockherberg, Munich, Germany
Half-day event featuring updates on AP automation and e-invoicing product vision, including customer experiences from Paulanerâs accounts payable transformation.
Event Page â
APA/MAP Pulse: Trends in US and Global Transfer Pricing Dispute Resolution (Webinar)
Deloitte | April 24, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Virtual session on practical next steps in pursuing Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) and Mutual Agreement Procedures (MAPs) in transfer pricing.
Register â
What to Know About EU Tax Policy (Webinar)
PwC | April 28, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Update on the latest EU tax policy developments and their impact on multinational business operations.
Event Page â
Master Data: The Foundation of Confident E-Invoicing Compliance (Webinar)
Vertex Inc | April 28, 2026 | Online/Virtual
In-depth session on how strong master data practices enable organisations to meet evolving e-invoicing mandates with confidence.
Event Page â
ITR AI in Tax Forum 2026 (In-Person)
Fintua (Silver Sponsor) / Vertex Inc (Gold Sponsor) | April 29, 2026 | The Minster Building, London, UK
Forum exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping tax functions, from automation to data strategy and regulatory readiness.
Register â
From Compliance to Control: Designing a Modern VAT Operating Model (Webinar)
Ryan | April 30, 2026 | Online/Virtual
Explores what it takes to move from reacting to VAT compliance to running a proactive, strategic, and controlled VAT operating model.
Event Page â
*any organisers or events Iâve missed? please let me know.
đąâđ Learning
A curated selection of blogs, white-papers and on demand content published by multiple organisartions across the landscape, organised into a themed learning path.
MONTH ONE ¡ APRILâMAY 2026
Strategy, AI & the Evolving Tax Function
From macro trends and the AI inflection point through to practical platform strategy, data architecture, ROI evidence, and talent â all calibrated to where the market actually stands in mid-2026.
Week 1 ¡ 7â11 April
Setting the Stage: What 2026 Has Changed â and What It Hasnât
The macro context has shifted materially since early 2025. The OECDâs Side-by-Side Package, Belgiumâs live B2B mandate, Avalaraâs pivot to agentic AI, and KPMGâs formalised AI programme for tax teams all signal that the market has moved from strategy to execution. This week sets that context with three complementary pieces â a practitioner-led trends overview, Bloomberg Taxâs 2026 compliance environment analysis, and KPMGâs freshly published connected modelling framework.
01đTop Trends for Tax Technology in 2026 and Beyond RSM US 8â10 min
02đTax Trends 2026: Key Developments to Watch Bloomberg Tax 12â15 min
03đThe Future of Tax: Connected Modeling and an AI-Enabled Tax Function KPMG US 8â10 min
Week total: 3 articles ¡ ~28â35 min
Week 2 ¡ 14â18 April
How the Major Platforms Are Rebuilding â From GenAI to Agentic Systems
The AI conversation in tax has definitively shifted from generative AI experimentation to agentic systems that take action rather than just producing outputs. This week examines what that means in practice across the Big Four advisory perspective (Deloitte), a leading compliance platform (Corptax), a research-first vendor (Bloomberg Tax), and the vendor most publicly committed to a fully agentic future (Avalara).
04đAI-Enabled Tax Transformation Deloitte Global 10â12 min
05đThe Future of Tax Tech: AI-Powered Tax Software CSC Corptax 10â12 min
06đOur Approach to AI Bloomberg Tax 8â10 min
07đAvalara NEXT 2026: Building the Future of Agentic Tax and Compliance Avalara 6â8 min
Week total: 4 articles ¡ ~34â42 min
Week 3 ¡ 21â25 April
Data, Automation & the Evidence That Proves It Works
08đAI Tax Software: Smarter Data, Stronger Compliance CSC Corptax 10â12 min
09đĽUnlock the Power of Tax AI CSC Corptax / ACT 60 min
10đAI for Tax Professionals Bloomberg Tax 12â15 min
Week total: 2 articles + 1 webinar ¡ ~82â87 min
Week 4 ¡ 28 April â 2 May
Maturity, ROI & Building the Case for Investment
11đCorptax AI Powers the Future of Corporate Tax CSC Corptax 10â12 min
12đAI for Tax Professionals Bloomberg Tax12â15 min
13đĽThe Tax Department Professional of the Future Thompson Reuters / TEI 60 min ¡ CPE
Week total: 2 articles + 1 webinar ¡ ~82â87 min
Month One total: 11 articles + 2 webinars ¡ ~226â251 min
*any cool content Iâve missed? please let me know.
đ Open Taxtech Jobs
A randomised selection of open roles across tax tech vendors and tax advisory/consulting businesses who are involved in tax technology.
*I do this using an AI agent and due to the volume, I donât check every link, so please let me know if any of these donât work or have disappeared when you follow them.
â Last thoughts
Thanks again for reading! If you have any feedback, suggestions, want to contribute, share gossip or would like to work together in any way, email me here or hit the button below!
