Industry Sales Tax Solutions

What Industry Sales Tax Solutions does

Industry Sales Tax Solutions, LLC (ISTS) is a Washington, DC-based, privately held LLC founded by Carolynn Kranz that provides ezMATRIX, a web-based subscription platform delivering state-by-state sales and use taxability guidance for software, digital, and cloud services transactions. The product covers all 45 states with sales/use tax plus DC and Puerto Rico, presenting decisions in matrix format viewable by state or product/service, with linked citations, continually updated content, and a "What's New" section reflecting legislative, administrative, and judicial developments. The underlying architecture is a curated content platform with a member-facing subscriber portal (taxonsoftware.com), an interactive Member Forum for anonymous peer discussion, and an educational content library covering nexus, exemptions, amnesty/voluntary disclosure, and software-transaction tax nuances.

The company serves both buyers and sellers of technology products — including SaaS, web hosting, canned/custom software, software maintenance, installation, customization, consulting, digital goods, and information services — as well as companies undergoing M&A due diligence involving software transactions. Customer pain points addressed include incorrect tax invoicing, expensive credit memos, audit exposure, and the cost of external tax advisor engagement.

ISTS generates revenue through annual ezMATRIX subscriptions (multi-state access only; no single-state option) supplemented by customized live on-site training services that qualify for CPE credits. Distribution is exclusively direct via inside sales (phone and email) and web-mediated demo scheduling, with no resellers, marketplace presence, or OEM partnerships. Demand generation is driven primarily by the founder's speaking engagements at ABA, COST, IPT, NYU, and TEI and her authored publications including the LexisNexis "State Tax Guide to Digital Content and Cloud Services."

Name

Industry Sales Tax Solutions

Legal name

Industry Sales Tax Solutions, LLC

Website

https://industrysalestax.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Industry Sales Tax Solutions provides ezMATRIX, a web-based subscription platform delivering state-by-state sales and use taxability guidance for software, digital, and cloud services transactions across 45 states plus DC and Puerto Rico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sales Tax Compliance Software

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Excise, VAT/Sales Tax & Indirect Tax Administration (BPAIADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration (BPAIADAO), Transaction Tax Structuring & Deal Advisory (BPAHAOAJ)

Keywords

• Sales tax compliance
• Software taxability
• Cloud services tax
• Digital goods taxation
• Use tax matrix

Headquarters

HQ city

Exton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. ezMATRIX Subscription: Subscription-based access to web-based taxability matrices covering 45 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Subscription includes access to taxability matrices, educational content, and Member Forum. Multi-state subscription required; single state option not available.
2. Live-on-site Training: Customized live-on-site sales and use tax training programs. Programs can be customized in content and duration, and most qualify for CPE credits. Offered as additional service to subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Industry Sales Tax Solutions (ISTS) operates ezMATRIX, a web-based decision-making tool that helps companies determine the sales and use tax treatment of software, digital, and cloud-based transactions. The firm complements this software with training services aimed at tax, finance, and compliance professionals navigating multi-state SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, and digital goods taxation.

Product overview

Industry Sales Tax Solutions offers a single unified product called ezMATRIX, a web-based sales tax taxability matrix tool for software, digital, and cloud services transactions. The core ezMATRIX product provides state-by-state sales and use tax decision-making guidance in an easy-to-use matrix format. Training services are offered as an add-on complement to the subscription, providing live on-site education programs led by founder Carolynn Kranz.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ezMATRIX Web-based decision-making tool that helps companies determine the sales and use tax treatment of software, SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, and other digital/cloud transactions across U.S. jurisdictions. Targeted at corporate tax, finance, and compliance teams selling or procuring software and cloud services.
• Sales Tax Training Services Training services covering sales and use tax of software and cloud-based services for tax, finance, and compliance professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Avoid significant sales and use tax audit assessments from common mistakes
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TaxJar (now part of Stripe Tax): Sales-and-use-tax automation platform focused on e-commerce and SaaS sellers, with multi-state nexus monitoring and filing. Directly comparable to ISTS for software/digital sellers needing multi-state compliance support; broader in product surface but narrower in deep research content.
• TTR (Transaction Tax Resources): Subscription-based sales-and-use-tax research database covering rates, rules, and taxability across U.S. jurisdictions. Most directly comparable to ISTS's ezMATRIX in delivery model (subscription research) and use case (state-by-state taxability lookups), including coverage of digital/software transactions.
• Sovos: Global tax compliance platform with strong sales-and-use-tax determination, including digital goods and SaaS transaction coverage. Comparable to ISTS for software/cloud sellers needing multi-state compliance research and automation, but Sovos is broader in scope and enterprise scale.
• Vertex: Provider of indirect tax determination and compliance software, including sales-and-use-tax content and rate data used by ERP systems. Comparable to ISTS on tax content delivery for enterprise software/SaaS transactions, though delivered primarily via embedded engine rather than a research matrix UI.
• Avalara: Leading SaaS provider of automated sales-and-use-tax compliance, including determination, calculation, filing, and exemption certificate management. Directly comparable to ISTS in the sales-tax software domain, though Avalara operates across all industries and product types while ISTS specializes exclusively in software/digital/cloud.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Tax: Tax research, news, and compliance tools covering state and federal taxation, including sales-and-use-tax developments. Comparable to ISTS as a subscription research resource for tax practitioners, though broader in scope and not specialized in software/digital transactions.
• PwC (Multi-state Sales & Use Tax practice): Big Four advisory practice providing multi-state sales-and-use-tax compliance, planning, and technology-enabled research for enterprise technology clients. Comparable to ISTS on subject-matter depth and enterprise customer overlap, but delivered through professional services rather than a subscription matrix.
• Thomson Reuters (ONESOURCE Indirect Tax): Enterprise indirect tax determination and research suite covering sales-and-use, VAT/GST, and excise. Comparable to ISTS for enterprise multi-state sales/use tax compliance, but ONESOURCE is a broad tax platform serving Fortune 500 tax departments at a different price point and scale.
• Wolters Kluwer (CCH): Global provider of tax research, compliance, and software products including CCH AnswerConnect and CCH Sales Tax. Comparable to ISTS in delivering authoritative state-by-state sales/use tax research, but as part of a much broader professional tax-information portfolio.

Emerging players

• State Tax Notes (Tax Analysts): Daily news and analysis publication covering state taxation including sales/use tax and digital services. Comparable to ISTS as a primary research channel for state tax practitioners and as a credibility vehicle (its State Tax Spotlight recognized the ISTS founder); operates as news/research rather than a taxability decision tool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/industry-sales-tax-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Industry Sales Tax Solutions