Tax Specialist II

About the Role

This position conducts field investigations, discovery, and enforcement activities to ensure accurate tax reporting and compliance among Fairfax County businesses. Discovery efforts involve detailed surveys of complex business establishments to determine tax liabilities related to the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL), Food and Beverage Tax, and Business Personal Property (BPP) taxes. The role educates and guides the business community on state and county tax codes, as well as filing requirements.

Responsibilities

• Conducts field investigations, discovery, and audits of business establishments to determine tax liability for business personal property and license liability (e.g., type, size, location/tax situs, gross receipts, capital investments, income, assets, and equipment inventories).
• Performs increasingly complex financial and investigative audits to ensure compliance with State and County tax laws.
• Researches various factors that affect tax liabilities of businesses and/or individuals.
• Participates in the systematic identification, assessment, and determination of business personal property tax and licensing liability and/or individual tax liability.
• Interprets and applies state and county codes and guidelines to a variety of tax and licensing scenarios.
• Reviews financial records of businesses and/or individuals to verify and enforce the accuracy of reporting of receipts, personal property, income, and assets.
• Negotiates differences with business and/or other representatives and resolves issues through visits or correspondence.
• Researches and applies appraisal techniques to conform to legislative changes and ensure uniform assessments of personal property and/or other County taxes.
• Contacts other agency staff to obtain necessary data and prepares special studies for management.
• Writes reports on technical and legal assessment matters.
• Reviews and analyzes personal property assessment and/or other tax-related procedures to ensure performance improvement within administrative and/or legislative guidelines.
• Briefs management on contested assessments and/or other tax decisions and provides testimony in court, as necessary.
• Validates personal property and/or other tax assessments to ensure uniformity and equalization of values.
• Performs occasional collection of delinquent accounts of a complex nature or involving a court action.

Requirements

• Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a closely related field, and two years of related work experience in local business tax assessments or a closely related area.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Completion of a criminal background check, a credit check, and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year college degree in accounting, business administration, finance, or a related field.
• Knowledge of accounting and management principles.
• Experience working for a regulatory or compliance agency in a field position.
• Knowledge of methods used in the assessment and discovery of Business, Professional, & Occupational License (BPOL) and Business Personal Property Taxes.
• Experience interpreting state and county codes to determine business classifications and tax assessments.
• Practical experience using Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Skills

• Knowledge of methods used in the assessment of Business, Professional, & Occupational License (BPOL), Business Personal Property Taxes, and/or other tax compliance areas.
• Knowledge of accounting and management principles.
• Knowledge of relevant State laws and County Ordinances.
• Ability to perform basic financial auditing skills.
• Ability to gather, analyze, and present data.
• Ability to maintain effective relationships with the general public, business representatives, and public officials.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Physical Requirements

• Job is generally sedentary in nature but requires walking, standing, sitting (for long periods of time), and reaching, bending.
• May be required to lift or carry up to 15 lbs.
• Frequently communicates and must be able to exchange accurate information with others verbally and in writing.
• Visual acuity is required to read data from paper and on a computer monitor; ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment.
• Generally works in an office environment but may occasionally perform job duties outside of the typical office setting.
• Ability to drive a motor vehicle.
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.