Welcome to AEC America

AEC pioneered a paradigm shift in the way that facilities cost control management services are provided in our industry. Our global assessment and tax management approach literally turned the traditional model for local cost control on its head. In doing so, AEC created new market space for our services rather than seeking to merely be competitive with existing service providers.

Leading the Way in Global Tax Management

Substantial asset costs such as local property taxes are typically managed from the bottom up. Due to the high level of perceived fragmentation in local tax systems from one jurisdiction to another—and one country to another—even the largest global owners generally manage taxes through an appeals-based approach instead of a home-office-based strategy. Owners often rely upon a long list of local third-party providers to advise the home office as to whether an opportunity for cost savings may exist with respect to individual assets.

This is a highly cumbersome approach that robs senior management of the ability to analyze and deal with the problems firsthand, and makes the company entirely dependent on the reliability of external providers. There is little rhyme or reason to this approach, and “strategy” is replaced by the ad hoc nature of relying on a long list of service providers that are motivated by their own self interest instead of the client’s—the prime detriment of this bottom-up approach. Also lost is any real insight into the many hidden costs of ownership and external provider costs.

Yet local taxes are among the highest items of occupancy costs and are best controlled through centralized strategy. To be sure, tax appeals are necessary and there is an important role to be played by local providers. But corporate strategy, planning and forecasting must be placed in the hands of the home office.

Through AEC’s revolutionary approach, fixed asset costs such as property taxes are centrally managed, and home office management is equipped with a full and transparent picture of the entire portfolio’s operations. Strategic decision-making comes from the top-down, and external providers are engaged in a planned and measurable manner so that nothing is left to chance or uncertainty. Senior management can receive real-time reports that depict costs and flag problem-areas instantly, either by targeting specific regions, property types, or a host of other variables, or for the full portfolio of assets.

AEC utilizes iTAM Link. iTAM Link is a secure, web-based application that supports the active management of real and personal property assessment and taxation in today’s global economy.

iTAM Link reduces clutter, saves time, eliminates confusion, and streamlines paper work for tax managers while allowing them to monitor large asset databases, assessments and tax information in an organized, efficient and flexible environment. It is the result of almost 30 years of national and international property tax experience built on a platform of leading edge information technology.

iTAM Link provides real-time, menu-driven reports that are fine-tuned to meet a broad range of client needs. Designed by tax specialists, iTAM Link’s electronic reports are easily accessed, generated, viewed and distributed.