Avalara has released AvaTax Excise, which handles excise, sales and use taxes. The application is suited for industries subject to both excise taxes, which are based on volume, and sales and use taxes, which are applied based on value. These industries include bulk fuel distribution, residential propane and heating oil distribution, vehicle and equipment rental, wholesale tobacco, and residential power.

Avalara LandedCost has been introduced by the Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based sales-and-use tax company Avalara. The application includes capabilities for tariff and harmonized system code classifications, and customs duty rates and enables merchants to calculate the taxes, tariffs, custom duties, and transportation fees associated with international shipping and delivery of products ordered online.

Dexter+Chaney has enhanced the project management functionality of its Spectrum Construction Software. The company has created what it calls a "unified project management solution within Spectrum, that integrates powerful project management tools with complete accounting, equipment management and document management solutions. In the 1990s, I wrote several articles about D+C, but it more or less vanished from sight for a while.