Manual Taxes & VAT
The VAT screen lists the rates applicable to items and documents (19 %, 13 %, 7 %, 0 %). The stamp duty and the tax setup by module (sales/purchasing) complete this financial reference data.
Overview
VAT and taxes govern the calculation of tax-inclusive amounts on all business documents. Each item line carries a VAT rate; the stamp duty is added at the foot of the invoice; and the tax setup allows these levies to be enabled or disabled on the sales side and the purchasing side.
Goal
- Declare the applicable VAT rates
- Set up the stamp duty
- Enable taxes by module
- Automatically calculate the tax-inclusive total
Target audience
- Accounting — maintains rates & taxes
- Administrator — configures the reference data
- Sales staff — apply the rates when entering data
Shared reference data
The VAT rates declared here are offered on every item line and document. Overview: Administration module.
Access and navigation
Left-hand side menu: Settings → VAT (the rates) and Tax setup (stamp duty & taxes by module).
List of VAT rates
The list displays each rate with its percentage value and a description. These rates are offered when entering items and documents.
| VAT rate⇅ | Description | Action(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19,000 % | Standard rate | ||
| 13,000 % | Intermediate rate | ||
| 7,000 % | Reduced rate | ||
| 0,000 % | Exempt |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| VAT rate * | Percentage value (between 0 and 90), displayed with 3 decimal places. |
| Description | Label of the rate (e.g. Standard rate, Exempt). |
Common rates in Tunisia
The four most common rates in Tunisia, to be declared once and for all:
| Rate | Category | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 19 % | Standard rate | Most goods and services. |
| 13 % | Intermediate rate | Certain specific services and products. |
| 7 % | Reduced rate | Essential goods, subsidized sectors. |
| 0 % | Exempt | Exempt or export operations. |
The 0 % rate is used for exempt lines: VAT is zero but the line remains tracked on the document.
Create a rate
Click New, enter the value in % and a description, then save.
The value must remain between 0 and 90 %. Avoid duplicate rates: a single record per value is enough.
Stamp duty
The stamp duty (e.g. 1.000 TND) is a flat amount added at the foot of invoices, in addition to VAT.
Flat amount
The stamp duty is a fixed amount per document, independent of the VAT rates. It appears distinctly in the summary.
Activatable
The stamp duty can be enabled or disabled depending on the document type, via the tax setup.
The total of an invoice therefore consists of: Σ Excl. tax + Σ VAT + stamp duty = Σ Incl. tax.
Taxes by module
The tax setup allows these levies to be enabled or disabled separately on the sales side and the purchasing side.
Sales side
Defines the taxes (VAT, stamp duty…) applied to sales documents: quotes, delivery notes, invoices.
Purchasing side
Defines the taxes applied to purchasing documents: purchase orders, receipts, supplier invoices.
This lets you enable a levy only for sales, or only for purchasing, according to your obligations.
Impact on documents
When entering a line, the selected VAT rate calculates the line's VAT; the stamp duty is added at the foot. Documents already issued are not affected by a later change to the rates.
Immediate impact — changing a rate does not alter documents already issued, but applies to every new line. Check the rates before a data-entry campaign.
Application workflow
flowchart LR A([Declare VAT rates]):::s --> B[Set up stamp duty
+ sales/purchasing taxes]:::p B --> C[Assign a rate
to each item/line]:::p C --> D([Line VAT calculation]):::ok D --> E[Σ Excl. tax + Σ VAT + stamp duty
= Σ Incl. tax]:::ok classDef p fill:#f3f1ff,stroke:#7366fe,color:#1f1c3d; classDef s fill:#F1F5F9,stroke:#334155,color:#1E293B; classDef ok fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#10B981,color:#065F46;
Business rules
No retroactivity — a new rate does not modify documents already issued; it applies to new lines.
Bounded value — a VAT rate is between 0 and 90 %.
Additive stamp duty — the stamp duty is added to the tax-inclusive total as a fixed amount, independent of the VAT rates.
Sales ≠ purchasing — taxes are set up separately by module; do not confuse the two configurations.
FAQ & Tips
A rate does not appear when entering data?
Check that it has indeed been created in Settings › VAT and that it is within the 0–90 % range.
The stamp duty is not added?
Check that it is enabled in the tax setup for the module concerned (sales or purchasing).
How do I sell an exempt line?
Apply the 0 % rate to the line: VAT will be zero while keeping the line tracked.
Tip — check before a campaign
Check your rates and the stamp duty before a large batch of document entry: this is the time to avoid mass errors.
