Avalara acquires iVAT software from Professor Wille to access the European VAT market
Avalara today announced that it has acquired VAT Applications NV (iVAT), the developer of the iVAT suite of VAT compliance software and services for businesses of all sizes.
Based in Belgium, iVAT is an important acquisition for Avalara as it expands its global reach and accelerates its ability to provide accurate VAT content to support merchants in Europe and worldwide.
“This deal is a great win for Avalara and businesses dealing with the burdens of tax compliance around the world,” said Scott McFarlane, founder and CEO of Avalara. “Our goal is to offer the most comprehensive portfolio of cloud-based tax compliance solutions on the planet, and adding the iVAT portfolio is a big step in that direction.
“Over the past 14 months Avalara has extended its leadership in the US sales tax compliance industry with acquisitions of leading content and technology providers for US telecommunications, hospitality, fuel and other excise taxes, digital goods, as well as internationally with the addition of Brazil and now European VAT,” McFarlane continued. “We have surpassed every competitor that existed when we began disrupting this marketplace more than 10 years ago and now stand alone in the market with the breadth and depth of our coverage.”
iVAT offers a comprehensive array of VAT determination and compliance solutions, including a cloud-based tax determination and invoice preparation solution and an automated VAT compliance service for filing returns in all EU countries in the required formats and appropriate languages. iVAT customers range from small and medium enterprises to some of the largest firms in Europe. Although iVAT solutions will improve Avalara’s determination service offering – Avalara already provides calculation in more than 190 countries worldwide – the major advance comes from the addition of automated compliance services, alleviating significant burdens for any international business.
“As a market leader for cloud-based tax compliance automation, Avalara is an ideal match for VAT Applications,” said Prof. Patrick Wille (pictured), founder and CEO of iVAT and a recognised expert in VAT legislation. “Our extensive library of statutory tax content incorporates the rules and provisions that govern the determination of the applicable VAT regime. Joining forces with Avalara will help advance our business and meet the demands of today’s fast-growing global marketplace.”
“Filing VAT returns for goods and services sold in a single EU country is pretty straightforward, but cross-border transactions are extremely complex,” said Richard Asquith, vice president of Global Tax at Avalara. “We are very excited about extending the reach of iVAT to help businesses of all sizes reduce the risks and simplify the complexities inherent in this process.”