Initial Suggestions for FluentCart: Invoicing System & VAT

First of all, thank you for the fantastic work you’re doing with FluentCart! I’m confident your solution will be invaluable for thousands of online stores, especially across Europe. Over the next few days, I’ll be sending a series of messages with improvements and fixes that, based on my experience in the Spanish market (and likely useful in other countries as well), I consider essential to take the product to the next level.

To start, here are my initial proposals regarding the invoicing system:

1. Company & Customer VAT Numbers

   • It’s crucial that the store allows entering both the company’s VAT number (CIF/NIF) and the customer’s VAT number, as this is mandatory on all invoices.

2. Price Display & VAT Breakdown in Product Listings

   • Option to display prices including or excluding VAT.

   • If you choose to show taxes broken down in the listing, the base price should be shown excluding VAT, and the final order summary should include:

     • Subtotal (excluding taxes)
     • Shipping costs
     • Other fees
     • VAT broken down by rate
     • Grand total

3. Support for Multiple VAT Rates & Regional Percentages

   • In many countries there are different VAT rates depending on the product category (e.g., 4%, 10%, 21% in Spain). Each product should be assigned its corresponding VAT rate so that the calculation is automatic and accurate.
   • Additionally, it should be possible to define VAT percentages by region (for example, by autonomous community in Spain or by EU member state), similar to how WooCommerce handles regional tax rules.

4. VAT on Shipping Methods

   • Shipping methods should also allow assigning a specific VAT rate, so that shipping costs are taxed correctly.

I’m available to expand on any of these points and share concrete invoice examples that we use. Shortly, I’ll send additional suggestions regarding checkout, payment gateways, and advanced configuration options.

Thanks again for your hard work and dedication! I’m certain that with these enhancements, FluentCart will become one of the most comprehensive e-commerce platforms on the market.