Property tax reform is on the way. And with it, tax advisers are expecting a rush of clients who will need to have the property tax values of their land reassessed. This rush must be managed efficiently, securely and reliably. The recommendation from a large number of German tax advisers’ associations is Opti.Tax Land Tax. In a widely acclaimed episode of „hsp live at 11“, hsp CEO Paul Liese demonstrated how tax consultancy firms can manage property tax matters comprehensively and efficiently using Opti.Tax. Together with tax adviser Teresa Gerke, he also answered numerous questions.
Several hsp records were broken during the livestream on 10 December: the highest number of viewers, the most ‘likes’, the most questions in the chat – such was, and remains, the level of interest in an efficient and secure approach to property tax. To provide expert support, Paul had invited a specialist: tax adviser Teresa Gerke. She has more than 10 years’ experience in property tax law and is deeply involved in property tax reform.
First of all, Paul explains where the various data elements are located within the overall process and how Opti.Tax handles sensitive data:
Law firm management system
There is the firm’s system – that is, the tax consultancy firm’s server. That is where the firm’s data is stored.
Opti.Tax Cloud
A cloud service operated exclusively on German servers. The provider is Internet X, on whose website you can clearly see which certifications it holds and what security measures are in place. Data is stored in encrypted form here on a temporary basis whilst projects are ongoing. Only the law firm and parties granted access rights by the firm can access the data – no one else. Once the project is complete, all data is deleted from the cloud; there is no permanent storage. Tasks are deleted from the cloud as soon as each individual task is completed. This means that the law firm retains 100% control over its data.
Structure of Opti.Tax Property Tax
The programme screen is divided into three sections. On the left, the client list takes up most of the space; client data can be imported there, for example via the DATEV interface. The right-hand third of the screen is divided vertically into two halves, with the upper half dedicated to task, appointment and deadline management. Teresa notes that such a management view is useful for the sake of clarity and to ensure that all deadlines are met.
As soon as the sample client has been loaded, you can see example tasks straight away. In the overview, the due dates are indicated by colour-coded status markers. Red means overdue, yellow means due in the short term and blue means due in the long term. Paul now creates a new sample user, imports the data via the interface and demonstrates that only users who are actively invited by the firm via an email address are granted access to the Opti.Tax Cloud. These may be the client’s employees, but also external service providers to whom individual tasks can be assigned. They, in turn, can only view what has been authorised by the law firm. On a second computer, Paul completes the sample user’s registration by setting a personal password. As soon as a new person logs in, they are guided through the interface with helpful explanatory texts.
Opti.Tax guarantees data sovereignty
In the next step, Paul creates a sample project. This project is set up on the firm’s server, not in the cloud – keyword: data sovereignty. Upon creation, a document can be sent directly to the client, such as a request for a power of attorney or the project contract. To this end, the firm can set various approval statuses, such as visual inspection or the requirement for a digital signature (advanced or qualified/person-specific). The upstream systems can then be scanned for land registry data. This allows, for example, the firm’s fixed assets to be searched by property.
In the example, the scan revealed that fixed assets and income tax returns were found in the DMS. The project is then created. On the second computer, Paul sees that the first task has been received. Accordingly, the example user sees the new task in the „Open“ column. If the user clicks on it, the editing view opens – every time the user encounters a new view, the automatic guidance provides an introduction and orientation. The attached document is a sample contract. It is now possible to sign the document – or to add comments at any point. If the user chooses the latter, the document can no longer be signed but is automatically returned to the law firm with the comment. The law firm can then discuss the comment, make adjustments, etc.
Reaching your goal with a clear taxonomy
Let us now assume that there were no issues – the order is returned signed. In that case, the law firm is automatically notified. The law firm can then manually synchronise the data in the software, and the task status immediately changes to „Approved by client“. Double-clicking opens the document, including the signature.
The Opti.Tax taxonomy is used within the project itself. If fields need to be completed, the client can be invited to do so via interview mode. As data is entered, the software automatically checks the information for validity and completeness. This ensures that the person entering the data does not forget or overlook anything. If any questions arise whilst entering data, a chat message can be sent to the practice via the „Conversation“ tab. The law firm’s side sees the message displayed directly within the programme and can reply immediately, just as with any chat. Once the project is marked as valid, the declaration of findings can be sent to the client with a single click. The client can then approve the document using a digital signature.
Questions and Answers
A number of questions were asked during the livestream. Here are the answers:
Q: What sort of interface is this with DATEV? Is it, if applicable, a general-purpose interface, i.e. one that can also be used in other software solutions?
A: The service in question is DATEVconnect. hsp is currently still in negotiations with DATEV to be able to use the online interface for basic data.
Q: What about the prices? Do you have to pay for the next seven years in order to submit the new tax returns? Will it be possible to access the master data again in seven years’ time?
A: It isn’t essential, but in future there will be a recurring need for topics that require appropriate software for visualisation or processing.
Q: Is it only possible to import data from DATEV, or can data also be imported from other systems?
A: At present, there are interfaces with BMD, ADDISON and DATEV. Further interfaces will follow.
Q: When sending emails from the system, is it possible to display or include your firm’s logo?
A: Yes. Not just the logo – the whole look, including the colours, can be customised.
Q: Will the query be adapted to the regional models and the national model?
A: Yes.
Q: Are there any additional charges for automatically retrieving standard land values?
A: No. hsp negotiates the licences; law firms simply need the software and do not have to worry about the licences or incur any additional costs.
Q: Is there already an integration of land used for agriculture and forestry?
A: Yes.
Q: What is the connectivity to Opti.Tax like without a DMS?
A: Provided the forms comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, the software can extract the data automatically.
Q: How many staff members can work at the same time?
A: As many as you like.
Q: Is any guidance provided, for example, on calculating the gross floor area?
A: Yes. For example, there is the hsp Community, which is available to all hsp users. There you will find sample documents, e-learning courses, user forums, support and so on.
There will continue to be regular livestreams on the subject of property tax in the future. Next week, we’ll be looking at the topic of fees: what should things cost?
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