Tax teams must retrofit tax capabilities or resort to offline manual processes which provide makeshift solutions at best—and can negatively impact the expected return on investment (ROI). The fog dissipates, however, and both ROI and longterm gains improve, when tax automation and the ERP are aligned in the early stages of strategy development and when planning teams consider how tax technology investments can improve company financials and downstream exposure. By factoring in tax considerations from the outset, companies can foster cross-functional cohesion and ensure that business goals are met. It is not always clear which tax management approach is best for an organization’s unique circumstances, particularly with complex and ever-changing compliance regulations. However, failure to act means manual processes can become increasingly unscalable and unsustainable, especially as a business grows and transaction volumes rise.