Welcome to the new Labhart Miles blog.
In this space, we’ll be talking about multi-state tax issues, California enterprise zone issues, and interesting general business issues that come to mind. Thanks for welcoming me into the blogosphere!
I hope you’ll join the conversation!
Sincerely,
Monika
I studied meteorology at San Jose State and worked in that field for over 6 years for a private ship routing company. I then made a career change and studied accounting at Mission College. Aside from my professional career, I enjoy doing volunteer work. I have been a Sunnyvale Rotarian for over 10 years, where I love being involved with youth services and giving back to the community. For over 21 years, I have been involved with the National Stuttering Association (NSA). The NSA is the largest self-help group in the world for people who stutter. I lead a support group for people who stutter. I am also an alumni advisor for my fraternity from college, Kappa Sigma.
Favorite Movies: Maid in Manhattan and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
Favorite album: Back to Basics by Christina Aguilera
Favorite TV Sitcom: Friends and The Big Bang Theory
Favorite Sports Team: San Francisco 49ers
Favorite Food: Pizza and Chicken Enchiladas
Favorite Vacation Destinations: Hawaii and Florida
Hobbies: Listening to music and working out
Favorite Pastime: Having breakfast on the beach with my family
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a teacher or meteorologist
I have over 20 years of experience in sales and use tax. Prior to becoming a consultant, I spent my time in the corporate world working on Sales and Use Tax, Tax Audits, Property Tax, Canadian GST/HST, Annual Reports and Business Licenses. Tax is never boring and that is what I love most about what I do. During my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family.
Favorite Movie: Grease
Favorite Music: I enjoy a variety of genres
Favorite Animal: Dolphins and Sloths
Favorite Food: Filipino
Favorite Vacation Destination: Hawaii
Hobbies: Spending time with my family, reading, collecting Funko Pops and helping my husband restore his 1970 Chevelle.
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a teacher.
I have over 10 years of experience in sales and use tax, specializing in multi-state consulting. My journey began as a California local tax specialist, where I honed my skills for 4 years. Following this position, I transitioned to a Big 4 firm, dedicating over 6 years to assisting clients navigate complex issues around nexus, taxability, calculating exposures and remediation. My expertise is in the retail/manufacturing industries and the ever-evolving technology sector—from ticketing to gaming and startups. As a Certified Member of the Institute for Sales and Use Tax (CMI), I bring a strong analytical mindset to my work.
I enjoy my spare time with my young family in Southern California.
Favorite Movie – Harry Potter Series
Favorite Album – Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack
Favorite Sport Team – Kansas City Chiefs
Favorite Food – Sushi
Favorite Vacation Destination – London or anywhere near the ocean
Hobbies – Reading, hosting BBQ’s at home with family & friends, traveling, & relaxing at the beach
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a librarian
I have my bachelor’s degree in accounting, I have 7 years of experience in Accounting and Taxation. I have 3 years of experience in sales and use tax. I worked with Avalara and Atlas Healthcare partners in their tax compliance department. Since 2021, I have been multiple various projects such as registration, filing high volume of returns, tax research. I have great passion for taxation, sales and use tax have been my strong industry. Outside from work I enjoy traveling, spending time with my five young girls and my husband, rearranging and decorating my house.
Favorite Movie: Love Actually, The Proposal
Favorite TV sitcom: Friends, Young Sheldon
Favorite Sports team: Lakers
Favorite Food: Pastas and Chicken Biryani
Favorite Vacation Destination: Switzerland and anywhere in Europe
Hobbies: spending time with family and traveling
Favorite Pastime: Decorating/organizing and watching tv
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I would be a physician
I have over 35 years of experience in state and local tax, specializing in sales and use tax. I have worked for three state tax departments, from tax auditor to appellate officer. I’ve also worked in the corporate tax environment as well as in the public arena as a tax consultant and senior tax manager. All positions have given me a full view of tax compliance from enforcement and education to preparation and defense.
I’ve always had a passion for sales and use tax because, depending on the transaction, location and timing of the event, the application of the tax can vary. These constantly changing scenarios in sales and use tax always keeps research and resolutions, challenging and interesting.
Outside of work I enjoy writing, traveling, movies, listening to wonderful music, reading, discovering great restaurants and entertaining my friends and family.
Favorite Movie – A Bronx Tale
Favorite TV Series – Girlfriends or Frasier
Favorite Album – Promise by Sade
Favorite Food – Italian
Favorite Vacation Destination – Paris, Martha’s Vineyard and New Orleans
Hobbies – Decorating, crocheting and gardening
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be an airline pilot.
I have over 20 years of experience in Indirect Tax & Banking Risk Management. My first tax position was with Ohio Department of Taxation. I acquired experience in all Ohio state taxes, mainly in Sales & Use, Individual Income, Personal Property, and Commercial Activity (formerly Corporate Franchise) Tax. With over 11 years of gaining experience in corporate sales & use tax within Fortune 500 and tax technology corporations, I have continued my career primarily in the sales & use tax field. I have attended and successfully passed exams of IPT (Institute of Professionals in Taxation) for both Sales & Use Tax Schools I & II. In my leisure, I love to study the Bible, spend time with family, write (released my first book in June 2023), inspire others, read, listen to music, dance, and sing.
Favorite Movie – I Love movies, especially comedy, musicals, and romance.
Favorite Album – I Love music, especially Christian Gospel and R&B.
Favorite Sports Team – Grambling State Tigers (college football)
Favorote Food – Soul Food
Passions – The Gospel, Music
I have over 9 years of experience in multistate tax experience. I started my career in tax working for a Big 4 professional services firm where I was based in Silicon Valley and primarily focused on the technology industry. There I gained a broad base of experience in multistate taxation including income, franchise, sales & use, and other state and local based taxes. I enjoy working in state and local tax because of the range of challenging and interesting projects that continually arise. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and occasionally, going out to shoot some hoops.
Favorite Movie – The Preacher’s Wife
Favorite TV Series – Insecure
Favorite Album – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Favorite Sports Team – Instead of having a favorite team, I tend to choose favorite athletes and follow their journeys. My favorite athlete is Serena Williams.
Favorite Food – Soul Food
Favorite Vacation Destination – Japan
Hobbies – Spending time with family & friends, watching sports and anime, and traveling.
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a sports analyst.
With over 9 years of experience in tax, I have gained the knowledge and aptitude to handle complicated projects. I started my career in public accounting with one of the top 25 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the US. I have experience in both federal and state income tax, and more recently being involved in state sales tax. I enjoy figuring out problems and finding solutions. The tax world is challenging. Figuring out the correct answer and being able to support it is rewarding to me. I have worked with both small and large clients in various industries, and the biggest reward is meeting our clients’ needs.
Favorite TV Series – I would rather pick up a good read!
Favorite Album – I enjoy a variety of Genres.
Favorite Sports Team – Team Mom
Favorite Food – Sopes & Pizza
Favorite Vacation Destinations – Hawaii & Mexico
Hobbies – Family time, swimming, hiking, and arranging flowers.
Passion – Volunteering and my involvement in my children’s school community and education
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a florist.
I have over 20 years of experience. Before becoming a Tax Consultant, I spent many years in the corporate world in various roles such as accounting, sales tax, income tax, and forecasting as well as auditing for industries including CPA firms, research and development, and software companies. I have a passion for sales tax and enjoy the arena because it is both exciting and challenging. I have worked with various clients of all sizes from small businesses to large corporate clients. I provide client services in sales tax onsite as well as offsite and consult on a variety of sales tax issues. My expertise lies in sales tax nexus issues, taxability studies, voluntary disclosures, and reverse audits.
Favorite Movie – Pretty Woman
Favorite Album – Whitney: The Greatest Hits by Whitney Houston
Favorite Sports Team – Golden State Warriors
Favorite Food – Italian
Favorite Vacation Destination – Europe
Hobbies – Spending time with my family and friends. Enjoy cooking and travel.
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be an event planner.
I have 41 years of sales and use tax experience at the state, Big-Four accounting and local firm levels. After retiring from the California State Board of Equalization (“BOE”, now the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration) as the District Administrator of the San Francisco office, I also worked as the District Principal Auditor in the BOE’s New York and Chicago offices and as an audit supervisor in the BOE’s San Jose office, so I am well-versed in California’s audit practices and procedures. Following my time on the BOE, I have been working with clients on multi-state sales and use tax issues: audit defense, tax planning, taxability studies, private letter ruling requests, voluntary disclosures, etc. I have been an instructor at the Institute of Professionals in Taxation’s (“IPT”) annual Sales and Use Tax School II in Atlanta, Georgia where I lectured on statistical and block sampling audit techniques, the retailing industry and I facilitated breakout sessions on all other topics covered at School II.
I enjoy traveling with my wife, friends and playing golf and tennis. But my greatest joy is to spend time with my adult children and four grandkids.
Favorite Movie: To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite TV Sitcom: Seinfeld—there’s not a situation in everyday life that it didn’t cover
Favorite Sports Team: San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors
Favorite Food: Pizza and everything that my wife cooks and bakes!
Favorite Vacation Destinations: Austria, Chicago, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and New York
Hobbies: Golf, tennis and mowing my lawn
Favorite Pastime: Spending time with my wife, children and grandkids!!
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a baseball coach.
I have over 10 years of experience specializing in sales and use tax. I worked for the California State Board of Equalization (“BOE,” now the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration) where I worked as a Tax Technician II for almost 5 years. Since 2017, I have been working with clients on multi-state sales and use tax projects such as registrations, voluntary disclosures, back return filings, and tax research. I enjoy working in the sales and use tax industry as it is challenging but rewarding. I have worked with clients in industries such as retail and banking. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my three young children and husband.
Favorite Animal – Orcas
Favorite Music – Hip Hop and R&B from the late 90s-early 2000s, and Classic Rock
Favorite Sports Team – Lakers
Favorite Food – Seafood boils
Favorite Vacation Destination – Hawaii
Hobbies – Doing nails
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a midwife.
I have 15 years of experience specializing in sales and use tax. I started my career working for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (formerly California State Board of Equalization), where I worked as a sales and use tax auditor. After 3 years, I transitioned into multistate sales and use tax consulting. I enjoy working on a variety of projects, including taxability studies, nexus reviews, tax research, claim for refunds, voluntary disclosures, and audit defense. I also appreciate the diversity of clients and industries we work with, including but not limited to, software-as-a-service (SaaS), interior design, research and development, and retail. I am a California licensed CPA. I most enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter.
Favorite Movie – Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Favorite Album – OK Computer by Radiohead
Favorite Sport – Tennis
Favorite Food – Japanese
Favorite Vacation Destination – Anything tropical
Hobbies – Spending time with family, friends, travelling, hiking, and yoga
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a yoga teacher
I have over 35 years of sales and use tax experience, including with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (formerly known as the State Board of Equalization) and as a partner with 2 multinational firms. I have been based in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire career and have significant sales and use tax consulting and compliance experience with the technology, biosciences and retail industries. I am well-versed in multistate audit defense, reverse audit and compliance engagements. I bring vast technical knowledge to my clients with a practical approach. I have been a past speaker with the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) and other professional organizations. I am a CPA and a member of the California Society of CPAs. I enjoy playing a round of golf once in a while, and get the most gratification while spending time with my wife and adult kids.
Favorite Movie – The Godfather
Favorite Album – Evolution by Journey and Little Creatures by Talking Heads
Favorite Sports Team – SF 49ers, Golden State Warriors and SF Giants
Favorite Food – My wife’s homemade bread
Favorite Vacation Destination – Carmel and Carmel Valley
Hobbies – Golf and spending time with family
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be an Usher at all 81 SF Giants home games.
I have over 25 years of experience in multistate tax consulting (sales tax, income/franchise and credits & incentives), plus a few more in federal tax! Before starting our firm in 2002, I was a Senior Tax Manager at a Big 4 firm and decided we could better serve clients in a boutique firm environment. My clients tell me that I have a knack for being able to take a difficult topic (like state tax) and make it easy to understand and ultimately remedy tough situations. I’ve worked with clients in many industries, including technology, manufacturing, retail, construction and financial, among others.
My professional affiliations include the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance – AFWA (Past National President), National Association of Women Business Owners – NAWBO (Silicon Valley chapter Past President), ProVisors, CalCPA, and the AICPA. I’m also honored to be recognized nationally as a Woman of Influence for AFWA in 2016 and as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, and also as a 2014 Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Favorite Movie – When Harry Met Sally
Favorite Album – Save Me San Francisco by Train
Favorite Sports Team – San Jose Sharks, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Cowboys
Favorite Food – Anything with lobster
Favorite Vacation Destinations – Kiawah Island, SC and Paris, France
Hobbies – Travel, cooking and drinking wine with my husband, and getting walked every morning by my boxer
Passion – participating annually in fundraising for the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.” I’ve volunteered for the event for 22 years (since its inception in the Bay Area), raising approximately $275,000 over this time period.
If I weren’t a state tax consultant, I’d be a tour guide in various cities throughout Europe.
