Sales Tax Institute Names 2021 Sales Tax Nerd Award Winner

The Sales Tax Institute has announced Iryna Soares as the recipient of the 2021 Sales Tax Nerd Award. The Sales Tax Nerd Award recognizes sales tax professionals who demonstrate a dedicated passion and commitment to the study and practice of sales tax.

The award does not solely weigh prior accolades or job titles, it also honors a professional for being a self-proclaimed “sales tax nerd” who loves working in the field and paying their sales tax knowledge forward to help others.

Iryna Soares is the Senior Accounting Associate at Delaware Elevator, Inc. Iryna had an accounting background but minimal exposure to sales tax before she started at Delaware Elevator. Today, with two years of dedicated sales tax experience, Iryna still considers herself a sales tax rookie but the knowledge she possesses and the passion she already displays for the sales tax field is nothing short of admirable.

She is a self-made and self-taught sales tax department of one navigating one of the most difficult industries for sales tax compliance: construction and real property. She uses her gift for breaking sales tax information down into plain language coupled with teaching skills from an education degree earned in her native country of Belarus to educate others in her organization, external contractors, and the wider business community.

“In our interview with Iryna, it was evident she embodied everything we look for in a sales tax nerd. She overcame challenges including language, culture, and education and then even used these to her advantage when trying to explain the very complicated sales tax rules for construction and particularly the installation and servicing of elevators. During the pandemic, she used her off hours (and her own money) to read and study and take classes to help her better understand these complicated rules. If this isn’t a Sales Tax Nerd, I don’t know what one would be!” said Diane Yetter, Sales Tax Institute Founder.

When asked what the award means to her, Iryna stated, “First and foremost, [the award] means a great responsibility, and a duty to keep advocating for the area in accounting that is so complex and far from universal throughout the states but vital for each and every business’s success. And then, of course, it means excitement, validation of the efforts put in so far, the feeling of gratitude for this opportunity, and a stronger passion for sales tax.”

Iryna will receive a scholarship to attend a Sales Tax Institute course, a one-year membership to the Sales Tax Institute Sales Tax Nerd Community, a year of mentorship with Diane Yetter, and prize package full of sales tax nerd merchandise.

Finalists for the 2021 award represent a variety of experience levels and backgrounds in sales tax. However, each finalist demonstrates a true passion for the profession and advocates to highlight the importance of sales tax within their companies and the wider field of accounting.

The 2021 finalists include:

Amanda Cusack, Manager of Indirect Tax, Maui Jim, Inc.
Kim Harper, Sales and Use Tax Director, Promo Only, Inc.
Mary King, Sales Tax Manager, Poly Tex, Inc.
Laurel Rice, Senior Tax Accountant, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
Nancy Steele, Sales Tax Coordinator, Mountain Rose Herbs

You can learn more about the 2021 finalists on the Sales Tax Nerd Award page.

The Sales Tax Institute provides premier sales tax resources, training courses for all experience levels, and sales tax consultations customized to meet your company’s needs. The Sales Tax Institute is a division of YETTER Tax and was founded by Diane Yetter in 1996.

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