Ecommerce VAT Change 2009/2010
Wednesday 9th December 2009
In December 2008, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, unveiled in the Pre-Budget Report a 13-month lowering of VAT from 17.5% to 15%. Well the 13-months are almost up and as of 1st January 2010 retailers must revert to charging 17.5%.
How does this change affect ecommerce...
As a non-dusza ecommerce owner this change may have caused a huge drain on resources first time round, changing the VAT rate on each of your taxable products throughout your website. And now, just when you probably want to be concentrating on Christmas and then your New Year sale you have to go back and change them all again.
Is this the last VAT change...
I'm sure that most retailers are certainly hoping it is, but tax experts warn that VAT rates may rise in the future, perhaps as high as 20% (in line with France, Austria, Hungary and Italy). Alistair Darling's legislation which enables a temporary VAT change may lead to a significant increase in the VAT rate after the next election. All these changes lead to high administration costs for retailers, both traditional and ecommerce, and with cash flow already an issue for many businesses, these changes could be damaging in the extreme.
How to change the VAT on your ecommerce...
Make sure you address this in time for the new rate introduction on 1st January 2010 (great timing - right in the middle of your New Year's Eve party).
There are a wide variety of ecommerce websites out there and all systems work differently. Intelligent ecommerces will have the ability to make the VAT change on a system wide scale and for these ecommerces it will be the case of simply changing a configuration file from 15% to 17.5%. Additionally if your products are already configured to include VAT within the sale price the change could be as painless as 30 minutes of programming time.
However if your ecommerce system is not as technically advanced, then the unfortunate outcome could be days if not weeks of human updates to each and every product affected by the new rate of VAT.
DUSZA suggest contacting your website providers immediately to find out how quickly the VAT changes can be made and at what cost, especially as the change will be taking place when a lot of agencies are closed for the Christmas break. Hopefully you will have built up a good relationship with your web design agency and they will take it upon themselves to help you remedy the situation quickly and without fuss.
The story could be significantly different if you have purchased an off the shelf ecommerce solution where support is by email or overseas call centre.
What are DUSZA doing to help their clients with the VAT changes?
Every client that DUSZA have who run an ecommerce business has already been contacted making them aware of the VAT change. Because DUSZA build their ecommerces and do not rely on off the shelf content management systems, DUSZA are able to make the necessary changes to VAT relatively quickly.
Therefore every client of DUSZA’s is being offered a FREE VAT update. No charge. No fuss. No headaches.
Are you looking for a truly intelligent and hassle free Ecommerce website solution?
If running your ecommerce is not as painless as you would like, why not contact DUSZA and see how our bespoke systems can improve your business. We have a portfolio of great looking ecommerces with exceptional functionality. Our back end systems are as easy to use as our front end websites. With stock control facilities, automated email responses, online consumer order tracking, comprehensive statistics packages, search engine optimised web pages, 5 click and under check out process, special offer and voucher code discount system, auto tracking shopper basket and the ability to configure trade prices quickly - a DUSZA ecommerce makes great business sense.
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we create brand, web and digital marketing solutions for individuals, organisations, charities and small to medium sized businesses.
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Based in corporate offices on the edge of Bournemouth, the creative hub of the UK, Dusza offer the complete web and marketing package. Whatever your size, turnover, offerings and target audience, Dusza have the in-house skills to make your project a reality.
Creativity combined with the cutting edge technology at our disposal and a dedication for perfection, we know our unique selling points - let us help you more effectively market yours.
Get in touch with Dusza on 0845 094 6442, Contact Us here or email hello@dusza.co.uk
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