Tech News: Visual Lease launches ESG solution

Visual Lease launches ESG solution; GBS Tax and Bookkeeping rebrands as Cleer Tax and Bookkeeping; the ITA is looking for new president; and other news from the accounting tech world.

Visual Lease launches ESG solution

Environmental social governance (ESG) text on wooden signpost outdoors in nature
jon anders wiken/Jon Anders Wiken - stock.adobe.com
Lease accounting software company Visual Lease launched its VL ESG Steward product, which is designed to track and report on the environmental impact of an organization's owned and leased asset portfolio. VL ESG Steward converts consumption data of greenhouse gas emissions using calculations based on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Protocol and EPA Energy grid emissions factors. The result is an up-to-date and ongoing greenhouse gas inventory as it relates to leased, owned and other intangible assets across an organization's portfolio. Furthermore, the software tracks a wide variety of environmental factors, including energy consumption, water usage, waste management and more. It collects data from a range of sources and automatically converts it into the standardized measurement of choice. Visual Lease plans to hold a webinar to introduce the product to a wider audience on Wednesday, April 19, from 1:00 -2:00 p.m. EST.

ITA looking for new president

ITA Information technology Alliance
The Information Technology Alliance announced it is seeking a new president, as its current president, Shawn Slavin, is set to depart the organization. The board of directors is partnering with a retained search firm, EFL Associates, to assist in identifying candidates for ITA's next leader who would step into the part-time contract position this summer. Slavin, meanwhile, will remain as president over the next few months while the search continues. 

GBS rebrands as Cleer

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The Brand
DOC RABE Media - Fotolia
GBS Tax and Bookkeeping, a flat-rate tax service for startups, has rebranded as Cleer Tax and Bookkeeping, a change that entails not just a new name and website but new product offerings as well. Cleer.tax offers specialty tax packages for U.S companies with foreign subsidiaries (Form 5471), and foreign-owned partnerships (Forms K-2 and K-3), as well as flat-rate tax preparation for newly formed companies starting with no annual revenue to companies earning over $10 million in profits.  Cleer also offers bespoke services, such as R&D tax credit preparation, mergers and acquisitions support, and customized tax consultations. Crystal Stranger, partner and chief operating officer of Cleer.tax, said the company coined the name Cleer to reflect the tech-supported accounting process its clients said helps them take the stress out of tax filing.

Partnerships and integrations

Karbon, an accounting practice management solutions provider, has been certified as a Xero App Partner. The announcement comes ahead of an integration between Karbon and Xero Practice Manager, which will be released in April. This integration will automatically synchronize contact data between both systems. Joint Xero and Karbon customers will be able to maintain accuracy across their new and existing client and contact records, without the need for manual updates. … Accounting software provider Xero has launched a payroll integration with South Africa-based payroll solutions provider SimplePay, allowing accountants to eFile employee tax declarations (EMP201s) from Xero to the South African Revenue Service. This builds on Xero's suite of cloud VAT tax tools in South Africa. … B2B payment solutions provider OnlineCheckWriter.comannounced said that its software is now available on the FreshBooks App Store. It has also partnered with the company to allow FreshBooks customers to import their bills and invoices seamlessly to OnlineCheckWriter.com. … Expense management platform Fyle launched a real-time credit card feed integration for business cards issued on the Mastercard network.

Other news

Translucent, a U.K.-based accounting platform specializing in multi-entity businesses, has raised a £2.7 million pre-seed round led by London-based VC firm LocalGlobe, a European seed investor and backers of Wise, Zoopla and Improbable.  
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