Ryan & Company and Robert Brakel & Associates Ltd. Combine to Create North American Market Share Leader

Ryan & Company, America's largest independent state & local tax consulting firm, today announced that it has combined with Robert Brakel & Associates Ltd. (RBA), the leading Canadian sales tax recovery firm. Under the amalgamation agreement, unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies on Friday, RBA becomes an operating subsidiary of Ryan & Company.

RBA headquarters, based in Brampton, will remain headquarters for Canadian operations. G. Brint Ryan, Managing Principal of Ryan & Company, will serve as chief executive officer of both companies. The combined company is the North American market leader in sales tax consulting and recovery with over $150 million in annual revenue from the sales and use tax service line. Ryan & Company, with total annual revenue of over $200 million, now has over 600 professionals and associates in 26 North American locations serving clients in the U.S. and Canada.

The main benefit to RBA and Ryan & Company clients is combined access to the highest-level Canadian and U.S. sales tax and related expertise available anywhere. This will continue to be delivered in Canada through the RBA organization located in Brampton, Ontario. The Canadian management team, consulting and client support staff remain in place to continue to deliver Canada's Complete Sales Tax Solution(TM).

However, they will be bringing to the Canadian market deeper access to U.S. state and local tax resources, as well as related practice areas that include fuel and excise taxes, property taxes, telecommunications taxes, franchise taxes, credits and incentives and tax technology solutions. Clients can even expect to obtain access to Ryan & Company's expanding practice in state and local income taxes, as it affects their business in the U.S.

RBA clients can also expect to see new innovations in review processes and service delivery as the firms integrate best practices in audit methodologies, software and data analysis, and client reporting needs and requirements.

"All in all, this is the most exciting and innovative development to date in the North American state and local tax market," said Ryan. "It meets the need of detailed local knowledge in the context of multinational requirements. That's unique."

Robert Brakel & Associates (RBA(R)) is Canada's largest and most respected consulting firm that specializes solely in assisting clients recover overpaid sales taxes and cope with ongoing sales tax compliance and administration. Since 1974, the firm has performed work for more than 5,000 organizations on a variety of tax matters provincially, nationally and internationally.

Ryan & Company is America's largest independent state & local tax consulting firm. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state & local tax services on a multistate basis, including audit defence, tax recovery, tax decision automation, dispute resolution, and strategic planning. With more than 525 professionals and associates in 25 locations throughout the United States, Ryan & Company serves many of the world's most prominent Fortune 1000 companies.