LOURDES ABELLA

• Lead the tax department overseeing sales & use tax (S&U), business property tax, real estate tax, business licenses, income tax, and annual reports across the U.S.
• Supervise technical functions and team development, including hiring and training of five staff members.
• Supported the company through rapid acquisition-driven growth by onboarding new entities and adapting procedures to manage increased volume.
• Integrated acquisitions into existing tax software systems and helped implement new technologies (Paltrax, NetSuite, Avalara ECM/ALM, Vertex, Ryan LLC).
• Developed and documented standard operating procedures (SOPs) to improve tax compliance and tax reporting.
• Led up to 10 audits simultaneously, using extensive tax knowledge to defend positions and reduce tax liabilities.
• Partnered with Crowe, LLP. to manage income tax payments, extensions, estimated payments, and notices.
• Ensured proper application and due diligence of tax exemption forms across all U.S. customers.
• Filed and managed over 200 S&U tax returns monthly across all U.S. jurisdictions, ensuring accurate, timely filings, and tax payments of over $2.0M per month.
• Filed and managed over 300 business property tax returns ($1M in liability) and business licenses annually.
• Managed annual report filings across all 50 states with CT Corp.

Key Achievements:

• Defended the revocation of a manufacturing exemption during an audit in Tennessee, saving $1.2M in tax liabilities and $360K in recurring annual costs.
• Identified and recovered $700K in tax overpayments ($200K in Texas and $500K in Kansas).

• Managed indirect tax compliance across the U.S. and led 10+ audits for payroll, business property, business licenses, income, and S&U tax.
• Supervised two tax analysts, ensuring timely, and accurate tax filings.
• Led process improvements for tax rate maintenance, use tax application, exemption certificate management, and tax reporting.

Key Achievements:

• Researched tax law changes that resulted in an 80% reduction in audit assessments.
• Improved accuracy in S&U tax data reporting and tax return preparation.
• Collaborated with Deloitte, Vertex, Avalara, TTR, Duff & Phelps, and others to resolve tax issues.

• Filed 100+ sales and use tax returns and ensured full data compliance.
• Managed customer credit memos, refund filings, business licenses, and property tax payments.
• Set up tax accounts and evaluated taxability through exemption validation, address verification, and tax rate assignment.
• Coordinated audits and compiled necessary documentation.
• Utilized bilingual communication skills to collaborate with international teams.

Key Achievements:

• Established SOPs and streamlined tax data workflows.
• Supported tax compliance initiatives in Mexico.
• Led a multi-state voluntary disclosure agreement (VDA) project.