Tax codes no longer in use can be made inactive. When inactive, tax codes no longer appear in the Tax field dropdown list for line items on transaction forms. But they are not deleted from Manager.
Note
Tax codes that have been used cannot be deleted, because doing so would compromise existing transactions. However, if a tax code has not yet been applied in any transaction, it can be deleted.
To make a tax code inactive, go to the Settings tab and click Tax Codes:
Click Edit next to the obsolete tax code and check the Inactive box:
Click Update. The inactive tax code will be listed in gray text in on the Tax Codes page under Settings. It can reactivated, if necessary, by clicking Edit and unchecking the box, then clicking Update again.
An inactive custom tax code can also be renamed to highlight its former purpose. Record such changes in your business files to support future questions or audits. Potentially useful name changes include:
- Adding a date indication, such as Pre-2017
- Inserting an obvious prefix, such as XXXX
- Including a warning, such as Do Not Use
Example
Sales by Brilliant Industries are subject to a 10% goods and services tax. Brilliant has added a tax code, GST 10%, for the country where it operates. The government increases the tax rate to 16%. So Brilliant adds the new tax code and makes the obsolete one inactive. Both are now listed under Settings, but the inactive tax code is distinguished by its gray text:
The inactive GST 10% code does not appear as an option when entering transactions:
