Corporate Tax Function Management Course: Tax Risk, Control Framework, Governance and Technology

Programme overview

Introduction:

Corporate tax function management, covering tax risk, the tax control framework, tax governance and tax technology, is the subject of this 1-week course for managers who run group tax affairs, ending with a Tax Function Maturity Assessment and Improvement Roadmap. Groups pay avoidable penalties and lose board confidence when tax positions rest on individuals, spreadsheets and undocumented judgement rather than owned controls. Nominees already supervise filings, provisions or tax advisers; teaching is by case study on a multi-entity group. CoreConcept Training Center designed this corporate tax function management course for in-house tax leadership.

Course Objectives:

• Draft a board-approved tax strategy, tax policy and risk appetite statement that set escalation thresholds for tax decisions
• Design a tax control framework that links tax policy, process owners and key controls across direct and indirect taxes
• Operate a group tax calendar, provisioning cycle and uncertain tax position review with clear sign-off responsibilities
• Specify tax data ownership, ERP tax code mapping, e-invoicing integration checks and tax engine requirements
• Manage tax authority inquiries and disputes with a documented protocol, information request log and settlement criteria
• Assess the maturity of a tax function and prioritise an improvement roadmap with KPIs reported to the audit committee

Target Audience:

• Managers who lead an in-house tax team and answer to the CFO for group tax exposure
• Financial control managers accountable for tax balances, provisions and period-end sign-off
• Finance managers who coordinate zakat, VAT, withholding tax and corporate tax filings across subsidiaries
• Internal control and risk managers who test or report on tax processes
• Finance systems managers responsible for ERP tax configuration and e-invoicing interfaces

Course Outline:

Day 1: Tax Function Mandate, Strategy and Current-State Diagnosis

• Tax Function Mandate Across Zakat, VAT and Corporate Tax
• Tax Strategy Statement and Board Tax Policy Approval
• Tax Risk Appetite Statement and Escalation Thresholds
• Tax Operating Model Options Centralised, Hybrid and Outsourced
• Tax Function Health Check Interviews and Document Review

Day 2: Tax Governance and Tax Control Framework Models

• OECD Co-operative Compliance Principles for In-House Tax Teams
• COSO Internal Control Components Applied to Tax Processes
• ISO 31000 Risk Process for Tax Exposure Identification
• Tax Control Framework Layers of Policy, Process and Controls
• RACI Matrix for Tax Ownership Between Finance and Business Units

Day 3: Tax Calendar, Provisioning and Tax Data Operations

• Group Tax Calendar Build With Filing and Payment Owners
• Quarterly Tax Provision Process and Sign-Off Checklist
• IFRIC 23 Uncertain Tax Position Memo Template
• ERP Tax Code Mapping and Tax Master Data Ownership
• E-Invoicing Integration Validation Rules and Exception Queues

Day 4: Tax Technology, Control Testing, Disputes and KPIs

• Tax Engine Selection Criteria and Business Case Scoring
• Key Tax Control Testing Plan and Deficiency Grading
• Tax Authority Inquiry Protocol and Information Request Log
• Dispute Strategy Matrix for Settlement, Objection or Litigation
• Tax KPI Set and Audit Committee Reporting Pack

Day 5: Case Study on a Multi-Entity Group Tax Function

• Case Group Tax Policy and Risk Appetite Review
• Case Group Tax Risk Register and Control Gap Map
• Case Group Tax Technology Roadmap and Sourcing Decision
• Case Group Maturity Scoring Across Five Tax Function Dimensions
• Tax Function Maturity Assessment and Improvement Roadmap Completion

Skills You Will Gain:

• Tax Strategy Formulation
• Tax Risk Appetite Setting
• Tax Control Design
• Control Testing and Deficiency Grading
• Tax Provision Governance
• Tax Data and Systems Requirements
• Tax Dispute Management
• Tax Function Maturity Benchmarking

Why Attend This Course:

• Present a Tax Function Maturity Assessment and Improvement Roadmap to the CFO and the audit committee
• Decide which tax activities stay in-house, move to a shared service or go to external advisers
• Avoid late filings, unsupported provisions and inquiry responses that depend on one individual
• Share the tax calendar, RACI matrix and control testing templates with finance and business colleagues

Conclusion:

Back at work, the participant presents the Tax Function Maturity Assessment and Improvement Roadmap to the CFO, the audit committee and the heads of finance in each operating entity. They use it to approve the tax policy and risk appetite, assign control owners, fund tax technology changes and agree which tasks are sourced externally. After the first quarterly provision and control testing cycle under the roadmap, the unit should compare results with the target maturity scores and KPIs and reset priorities where gaps remain.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What should participants prepare before a corporate tax function management course?

Participants should bring a working knowledge of the taxes their group files and, where possible, an anonymised tax calendar, organisation chart or provision workpaper. These let the case exercises and the final maturity assessment reflect a real tax function.

How does corporate tax function management differ from a tax computation or tax return course?

A computation or return course teaches how to calculate and file a single tax. This course teaches how to govern and run the whole tax function: strategy, risk appetite, controls, provisioning, data, technology, disputes and performance reporting across all the taxes a group manages.

Why does corporate tax function management need a tax control framework?

A tax control framework turns tax policy into owned, tested controls, so that filings and provisions rely on documented processes rather than individuals. It gives the board and auditors evidence that tax risk is identified, managed and reported within an agreed appetite.

What do participants take back from corporate tax function management training?

Participants take back a Tax Function Maturity Assessment and Improvement Roadmap, with a tax risk register, control gap map, tax technology roadmap and KPI set that can be adapted to their own group and presented to senior finance leadership.