Tax talking to the business

I don’t need to explain this to you. The tax domain is complex. Very complex. Oh boy, it is getting more complicated year by year. I survived BEPS 1.0. Successfully, I think. Then BEPS 2.0 came, wow, a completely different game. A couple of new EU ATADs were launched. EU BEFIT got introduced. Multiple domestic DSTs. I forgot how many DAC’s. Multiple OECD TPGs. A proposed WHT reform. And this is just the beginning of the complexity centered around Europe. I am not even referring to the other regions.

By just referring to the legislation itself, I ended up with BEPS, ATAD, BEFIT, DST, DAC, TPG, WHT. As said, it is just the beginning. For Europe. And I did not even go into the legislation itself. Just the name. Drop this to any non-tax person in a conversation, and you will get an angry look back. It’s scary. Or it comes across as if we are flexing with our jargon. Which we obviously don’t, we are just programmed to talk our “ubiquitous language” but for any non-tax person, it will be all Greek.

Here is a very important piece of advice: get rid of the jargon. It’s difficult, but not impossible. If we want to be the business partner of choice, if we want to secure our seat at the table, if we want to put tax on the map, we need to speak the same language as our stakeholders. Demystify your message by going for the most simple version possible. A message that your daughter would understand. Try it. Only in that case, will you resonate. Only in that case, will you be convincing. Only in that case, you will be heard. Only in that case, you will be strategic. It’s daunting to drop the jargon, but it’s the only way forward!