GTN Mobility Tax Blog

If your auditor doubles as your company’s mobility tax services provider, you may have found benefits from this seemingly convenient arrangement.

It’s not unusual to see companies using the same firm to provide multiple kinds of accounting and tax services, especially for emerging and fast-growing companies. However, it is important to be aware of the challenges that may arise in this situation and understand why it may be beneficial to use different firms for your auditing and mobility tax needs.

By understanding your specific needs and the service limitations that can exist for audit firms, your organization will be in a better position to assess and select a vendor that will provide the experience needed for your mobility program and employees.

When it comes to payroll reporting and withholding for equity compensation, companies don't always realize they may be non-compliant if they have a mobile workforce. These companies may be unaware of the rules in the various jurisdictions their employees have worked, and they may not have processes in place to allow for the tracking of employees. For these reasons, the payroll reporting and withholding, related to equity income, may be handled as if the individual had only worked in one location. However, this approach is often not appropriate for mobile employees working in multiple locations since reporting and withholding rules can vary for each jurisdiction.

For many companies, the new workforce norm has shifted to virtual and remote employees. However, for several businesses, there remains a need to have employees working in-person on multiple projects across the country or around the world. Business travel, while still not up to pre-pandemic levels, is making its way back as a standard way of working.

While typical mobile workforce structures such as permanent and long-term assignments are generally managed through a defined HR or mobility function, management of short-term business travel tends to be less defined. Yet, understanding and actively managing the tax risks of short-term business travelers can greatly reduce costs and a variety of risks for both your organization and business travelers. Therefore, developing a structure to oversee this area is imperative.

As the future of work continues to evolve, providing a “positive employee experience” is top of mind for companies. While some organizations have gone back to in-office working arrangements, many have retained a full or partial remote workforce culture. These businesses see the provision of a flexible workplace as critical to not only retaining key employees, but also in recruiting top talent to fill essential job duties. And while this incentive is a benefit for the employee and employer, there are important duty of care responsibilities that need to be considered when you have a remote workforce.

Our annual Beards and Braids for Busy Season (BBFBS) begins now! In the campaign’s ninth year, GTN is once again partnering with Move For Hunger, a national non-profit organization that has created a sustainable way to reduce food waste and fight hunger. Our 2022 BBFBS campaign strives to make an impact on the growing hunger crisis as millions of Americans face food insecurity every day. This will be GTN’s second year partnering with Move For Hunger and our goal is to surpass last year. With your help in 2021, the BBFBS campaign was among Move For Hunger's top 10 fundraisers providing 16,277 meals to those in need! We are very excited about this year’s campaign and the continued role we can play in helping the Move For Hunger cause.

Over 55 years ago, scientists introduced the “greenhouse effect.” In November 1965, the Environmental Pollution Panel along with the President’s Science Advisory Committee issued a report called, “Restoring the Quality of Our Environment,” that pointed out how increasing temperatures in the atmosphere was occurring due to the buildup of carbon dioxide. The phrase “global warming” (i.e., climate change) was coined a decade later when the issue of a warming climate began to reach a larger audience.

Now, as the effects of climate change are felt by more than just the scientists, individuals around the world are urging corporations to step in. Workforces yearn for their employers to be environmentally, socially, and culturally thoughtful. In this article, we will explore the principle of sustainability and how the global mobility department can not only participate but take the lead in creating change within their corporation. Below we highlight both short- and long-term goals you can create for your global mobility program along with potential resources to help make these goals a reality.