Joan Wagnon, Former Kansas Secretary of Revenue, Joins FedTax

SEATTLE, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FedTax, a private company committed to making it easy for online retailers to collect sales tax, today announced the appointment of Joan Wagnon as Executive Vice President. Ms. Wagnon brings more than twenty-five years of experience in government and financial services to the role.    

"We are honored to have Joan on our team," said R. David L. Campbell, Chief Executive Officer. "Joan's experience as secretary of revenue for the State of Kansas and as president of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board are invaluable assets to FedTax as we roll out TaxCloud, our sales tax management service, nationwide." Ms. Wagnon has also served as chair of the Multistate Tax Commission and on the board of directors for the Federation of Tax Administrators. She has a long record of distinguished public service; in addition to serving as secretary of revenue for the past eight years, a position she left only a month ago, she was also the mayor of Topeka, Kansas, from 1997 to 2001 and a legislator in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1983 to 1994.  

In addition to Ms. Wagnon's extensive background in state and local government, she was president of the Central National Bank in Topeka from 2001 to 2003 and served on their board of directors until 2009.

Ms. Wagnon's experience with state and local government is particularly relevant as states throughout the nation are facing record budget shortfalls, due in part to a decline in sales tax revenue as more shoppers buy online and avoid paying sales tax. According to a 2009 study by researchers at the University of Tennessee, this year alone states will lose over $23 billion in uncollected sales tax. Although states cannot currently require out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax, the Main Street Fairness Act, which is expected to be introduced soon in Congress, would change that, thus helping states to recover lost sales tax revenue and close their budget gaps. The bill would also level the playing field between local retailers that have to collect sales tax and online retailers that don't.

In her work with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA), Ms. Wagnon strove to make the collection and administration of sales tax easier and more affordable for states and retailers alike. She is thus a natural fit for FedTax, whose TaxCloud sales tax management service makes collecting sales tax easy for retailers of any size, at no cost to the retailer.

"FedTax represents the logical progression of my career," Ms. Wagnon said. "I'm happy to continue my work in support of fair and neutral sales tax collection as part of FedTax. And I'm looking forward to continuing to make the case that with technology like TaxCloud, it's easy for any retailer to collect sales tax online."

TaxCloud instantly calculates the sales tax rate for any address in the U.S., monitors tax codes, and automatically incorporates any changes—so all TaxCloud retailers maintain compliance with sales tax laws with zero effort. TaxCloud also manages exemption certificates, generates reports, and automatically files state-by-state sales tax returns for retailers, all at no charge to retailers.

"TaxCloud reflects the guiding principles of the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement —that sales tax collection can be easy for any retailer," said Ms. Wagnon. "FedTax has created a secure, scalable, elegant solution, and best of all, they're offering it to retailers for free."

About FedTax

FedTax is a private company that is committed to making it easy for online retailers to calculate, collect, and remit sales tax. It was founded by technology veterans with extensive experience in the large-scale development, deployment, and support of internet-based services in environments with extremely high transaction volumes and financially sensitive information. The management team has been directly involved in building some of the most recognizable brands in e-commerce, including MasterCard, Google, Microsoft, and Expedia.

FedTax has been designated a Certified Service Provider by the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board. The company's TaxCloud service enables e-commerce retailers to easily calculate and remit sales tax across the country. TaxCloud is free to retailers and can be easily integrated into virtually any accounting or e-commerce shopping cart system.    

FedTax is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and has offices in Norwalk, Connecticut, Issaquah, Washington, and now Topeka, Kansas.

SOURCE FedTax