Sohan David, CEO, TBS Global- Synergy

Reflections on the
2025 IPT Sales Tax Symposium

1. Setting & Theme

This year’s theme, “Learning, your way!”, perfectly encapsulated the flexibility and range of the Symposium’s design. (ipt.org) Whether one is a legal strategist, compliance specialist, or technology-focused practitioner, the event offered tracks and sessions calibrated to diverse learning paths. (ipt.org) The program was thoughtfully structured around three specialized tracks — Legal, Compliance, and Technology — enabling attendees to tailor their learning experience. (ipt.org)

The venue itself was superb: tucked into the scenic surroundings of Indian Wells, California, the Renaissance Esmeralda provided an elegant and serene backdrop for both formal and informal networking. (ipt.org) The optional social events — from the Monday wood-fired pizza dinner to spa time — offered relaxed, convivial settings to deepen connections.

2. Highlights & Key Sessions

Some of the standout moments and sessions that resonated with me (and, I believe, with many from TBS Global) include:

    • The keynote by former Navy SEAL Curt Cronin on transformational leadership — a compelling reminder that tax and compliance professionals, while operating in technical arenas, also lead transformation within organizations.
    • The Ethics + AI session, exploring the role of artificial intelligence in tax, compliance, and the challenges of maintaining ethical guardrails — extremely timely given the speed of AI adoption in our industry. (ipt.org)
    • The State of the States update, which offered a crisp, up-to-date survey of recent legislative and policy changes in sales & use tax jurisdictions. (ipt.org)
    • Technical, compliance, and audit-oriented breakouts:
        • “Legal 1 – Compliance / Pre-Audit,” “Legal 2 – Audit: Conducting with Appeals in Mind,” “Legal 4 – What Would a Judge Do?” (ipt.org)
        • “Software, SaaS, and Apps,” “Data to Compliance 201,” “Data Wrangling 301: Practical Use Cases” (ipt.org)
        • “The Hidden Challenges of Use Tax: A Deep Dive,” “VAT Overview for Sales Tax Professionals,” and more (ipt.org)
    • The hands-on CMI (Certified Member) orientation and sessions designed for first-time attendees gave great perspective and confidence for engaging in deeper learning. (ipt.org)

I was particularly impressed with the balance between high-level strategic thought leadership and highly practical, technical breakouts. That balance is hard to achieve, and IPT succeeded brilliantly.

1000018582.jpeg

3. Value & Benefits to TBS Global

Attending the Symposium was far more than just attending seminars — it was a powerful catalyst for TBS Global’s strategic growth and industry positioning. Some of the concrete benefits include:

  1. Strengthened Industry Connections
    — I connected with senior tax, technology, and compliance leaders across firms, departments, and jurisdictions. These contacts already show promise for collaboration, referral partnerships, and joint thought leadership.
    — The informal settings (dinner, spa, lounge conversations) allowed candid dialogues that build trust far faster than formal meetings.
  2. Insight into Emerging Trends
    — The AI / Ethics and data-driven compliance tracks gave deep visibility into where the SALT industry is headed. We now have early signals for product roadmap alignment (especially for our CVT / Calendar modules).
    — Updates from “State of the States” and audit / appeals tracks sharpened our understanding of evolving legislative risk and opportunity zones.
  3. Reinforced Reputation & Visibility
    — Having TBS Global present (or represented) at this premier IPT event highlights our commitment to excellence and thought leadership.
    — We are now better positioned to contribute to future IPT panels, white papers, and working groups — which further elevates TBS Global in the global tax community.
  4. Learning & Team Development
    — The structured tracks allowed me and our technical leads to absorb new tools, frameworks, and approaches that can be internalized, disseminated, and deployed across our product and consulting offerings.
    — The sessions on audit risk, appeals, and compliance provided fresh perspectives we can apply to client engagements to reduce risk and improve defences.

4. Gratitude & Acknowledgements

I wish to express my deepest thanks to:

  • The Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) for organizing a world-class event that is rigorous, relevant, and relational.
  • The speakers, moderators, and track leaders who brought clarity, challenge, and energy to their sessions.
  • The attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors, whose engagement, questions, and presence made the experience vibrant and meaningful.

To all new colleagues and potential partners I met — thank you for your time, your insights, and your openness. I look forward to cultivating these relationships in the months ahead.

About-Us-Image-3.jpg

5. Next Steps & Commitments

To capitalize on the momentum from the Symposium, TBS Global will:

  1. Convene an internal “Symposium Debrief & Roadmap Session” to extract top 5 actionable learnings and assign ownership.
  2. Reach out to key contacts made to explore pilot engagements, joint research, or speaking prospects.
  3. Expand our product roadmap to incorporate feedback from AI, data compliance, and audit/appeals learnings.
  4. Explore presenting in next year’s IPT programs and actively contribute to IPT’s committees or working groups.
  5. Publish a short white paper or blog series summarizing trends (AI, use tax, data compliance) learned at the Symposium — partly as value for the tax community, partly for marketing visibility.

In closing: the 2025 IPT Sales Tax Symposium was an outstanding convergence of intellect, innovation, and community. As CEO of TBS Global, I am more energized, connected, and committed than ever to advancing excellence in tax technology and compliance. I extend my heartfelt thanks to IPT and to all who made this gathering a resounding success.

During the 2024 Sales Tax Symposium, we identified two recurring topics of concern.

First, there is a lack of resources available to effectively manage tax preparation services. Our goal is to outline and provide practical methods for leveraging third-party service providers to address this challenge.

Second, participants raised concerns about software integration and the role of artificial intelligence in tax services. We intend to demonstrate how key software components, such as tax calculators and tax calculation tools, can be seamlessly integrated into any business.