Spotlight on International Indirect Tax Expert Peter Boerhof

Our Spotlight series highlights the careers and lives of tax professionals around the world. This week’s Spotlight is on Peter Boerhof, a senior director for Vertex Inc., a software development company.

Boerhof, who is based in the Netherlands, advises his clients about the effects of tax regulations, policy, enforcement, and emerging technology trends on their businesses. Before joining Vertex in 2019, he was global head of indirect tax at Akzo Nobel and was a manager at Deloitte and EY. He has extensive experience in international transactions, business restructuring, tax process optimization, and tax automation.

When he’s not working, you’ll find Boerhof cycling, hiking, or maybe catching the latest episodes of “Fauda” on Netflix.

What’s your official title and what does it mean? Senior director, VAT, at Vertex Inc. This means I focus on consumption taxes outside the US.

Free time: book, audiobook, or podcast? When I have free time, I actually prefer to be active and engage in sports like cycling and hiking. I also love to travel when I have extended free time.

Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest? Currently, my area of special interest is indirect tax. My background and training include a specialization in VAT. In my capacity at Vertex, I provide insight on the impact of tax regulations and policies specifically in global tax operations, including customs, value-added tax, and stakeholder management.

What’s the last movie or TV show that you watched and loved (DVD, Netflix, or in the theater)? I mostly watch movies and TV shows on the different streaming services. The one I’m currently enjoying is called “Fauda,” a show on Netflix about an Israel Defense Forces agent that comes out of retirement.

What college did you attend and what did you study? I hold an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management and a master’s in tax law from the University of Groningen, where I specialized in transfer pricing.

Go-to pick-me-up: Coffee or tea? I always go with coffee, either a cappuccino or a lungo.

What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you? The best personal financial advice I’ve ever received occurred when I was younger and looking to buy a house. A former boss told me that if you buy a new, expensive house, initially you’ll be proud, but that happiness will quickly wane. That lifestyle becomes your new normal, and the financial burden of the mortgage stays. Around the same time, a banker said that if you’re buying a property, there are two possible scenarios to consider. You could borrow the maximum that you can afford, and then see what remains in your monthly income, or you could ask yourself, “What do I need to live the life I want?” and see what remains for the house.

In my role at Vertex, I often share this perspective with customers. Businesses need to think about how their tax strategies impact their ability to thrive. I advise them to take a total view by looking at what their businesses need and making decisions that put them in the best possible place in the long term.

If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be? I’d love to be doing something outdoors. Working as a ranger or something within nature preservation. I could also see myself doing something in woodworking or building furniture.

If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax world—an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever—what would it be? I would try to make the VAT process as simple as possible. One way would be to standardize one single rate across the EU. Businesses globally are struggling with the complexities of VAT. It’s increasingly difficult for businesses to comply with regulations, both locally and cross-border. If we could have one standard VAT rate without exemptions, zero rates, and reduced rates, this would significantly simplify the VAT landscape in the EU. This would benefit large multinationals as well as small and medium-sized enterprises transacting in EU countries.

Favorite food, snack, or candy during tax season or other busy time? Definitely pizza. I like pepperoni, tuna, and four-cheese—but not all at the same time.

What tax news or move made the most impact on your practice or clients this past year? The European Commission’s VAT in the Digital Age Legislative proposal is a broad and important topic for every one of our clients. An increasing number of countries have started collecting VAT where buyers are residing instead of the country where the seller is established. This has made the tax liability much more diverse and challenging. Marketplaces and selling platforms are taking on far more complex calculation and reporting requirements, as many jurisdictions have shifted the VAT liability to operators that facilitate sales rather than the underlying seller.

If you received a big tax refund check right now, what would you do with it? I would definitely buy a new bike. I’m planning to participate in a ride in the Italian mountains. That would be a nice gift to myself ahead of the trip. If there was any money left over, I’d spend it on traveling.

You can find out more about Boerhof on Linkedin.

You can learn more about Boerhof firm, Vertex Inc., on its website.

If you’d like to recommend a tax pro to be featured, send your suggestion to rbaker@bloombergindustry.com with the subject: Spotlight. Please include the following information: tax professional’s name, title, email address, and geographic area (city/state/country).