Managing Taxes
Zen Cart can be configured to handle taxes for online purchases. You should consult your local tax authority for tax advice as it relates to your business. A report of all taxes paid for a time period can be quickly retrieved using the report provided by the Monthly Sales and Tax plugin.
If the wrong country or zone has been selected for the store, problems will ensue with the handling of taxes. After you have logged into the Zen Cart
admin interface you can check and change these configuration settings. The settings for "Country" and "Zone" are found in Configuration :: My Store:
Tax rates can be defined for any number of zones. Each Zone can contain any number of geographical locations. Tax Zones are configured by
navigating to Locations / Taxes :: Zones Definitions in the Zen Cart admin interface:
Click the "Insert" button from the Zone Definitions listing above to add a new state/zone:
From the State/Zone definition added above, click the associated "Details" button. You'll initially see a listing of locations for the selected state/zone. Click the "Insert" button at the bottom of the listing to view the location-entry form. Choose the "Country" and "Zone" (state) and click the "Insert" button from that form.
Navigate to Locations / Taxes :: Tax Rates in the Zen Cart admin interface and press the "Insert" button at the bottom of the listing. Supply the state's base tax rate and a description, then click the "Insert" button from that form.
Local sales tax can be configured in many different ways. In most US locations these are done by county and city. Local sales tax will be added to the state sales tax on the order. Customers (and the store) will be able to see the sales tax charged for their order.
Navigate to Locations / Taxes :: Local Sales Taxes in the Zen Cart admin. Shown below are a couple of examples:
