The Sales Tax Institute has named Iryna Soares the winner of its 2021 Sales Tax Nerd Award.
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A senior accounting associate at Delaware Elevator Inc., Soares had an accounting background but little exposure to sales tax before joining the company, where she serves as a "self-taught sales tax department of one."
“It was evident that Iryna embodied everything we look for in a sales tax nerd," said Sales Tax Institute founder Diane Yetter in a statement. "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!”
“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," Soares said in a statement. "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.”
Soares will receive a scholarship to an institute course, a one-year membership to the STI Sales Tax Nerd Community, a year of mentorship from Yetter, and a prize package of sales tax nerd merchandise.
The 2021 award finalists include:
- Amanda Cusack, manager of indirect tax at Maui Jim Inc.;
- Kim Harper, sales and use tax director at Promo Only Inc.;
- Mary King, sales tax manager at Poly Tex Inc.;
- Laurel Rice, senior tax accountant at Casella Waste Systems Inc.; and,
- Nancy Steele, sales tax coordinator at Mountain Rose Herbs.
