South Africa VAT increase
-
Y2k was basically a non event that the IT world bullshitted into $millions of work that should have been done in the first place. As DP said any programmer that hard codes a variable value needs to learn to fly!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
More to the point, we've all just missed the window of opportunity to become highly paid "South African VAT Rate Change Consultants" :( And, My God, there seem to be an awful lot of programmers splattered on the pavements this morning!
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
-
Any programmer that hard-codes variable parameters such as tax rates should be defenestrated, at the very least.
Ad astra - both ways!
-
So our VAT rate will be increasing from 14% to 15% on the 1 April (no joke). I'm wondering how many programs have this hard-coded and will be able to handle it properly, including working out VAT before and after the changeover. Reminds me of Y2K.
You should buy European software, everything related to taxes there is configurable. Upwards.
-
So our VAT rate will be increasing from 14% to 15% on the 1 April (no joke). I'm wondering how many programs have this hard-coded and will be able to handle it properly, including working out VAT before and after the changeover. Reminds me of Y2K.
I had to virtually rewrite an order processing system about 10 years ago when the VAT rate in the UK changed. As well as handling the possibility of rates changing, it also had to handle variable/intermediate rates depending on the product. Some products get the full rate, some are zero rated and some have intermediate rates applied. The company handled gift vouchers for many high street brands. VAT was charged on each at a rate calculated by HMRC depending on the type of goods sold by the retailer. If it was a clothes retailer it was charged the full rate, unless it was a children's clothes retailer when it was zero rated. Shops that sold adult and child ranges had an intermediate rate calculated based on their ratio of sales. Shops that stocked food were also affected, as most food is zero rated, except luxury foods, which attract the top rate. On the whole, the change in rate was a fairly minor problem! I also had to deal with the fact that the numpty who had writtedn the original system calculated the prices including VAT and excluding VAT and the VAT amount by using calculations prone to rounding errors. I fixed this by calculating just one value, then adding or subtracting this as necessary.
========================================================= I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka. =========================================================
-
I prefer Fenestrons[^] , but they are sinfully expensive in the sizes I need.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
I would think that using one of those to deal with bad programmers defeats the purpose - just use an ordinary helicopter rotor. :-\
Ad astra - both ways!
-
Does that mean that he cannot use Windows anymore? That could be considered a benefit .... :-D
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.' Benny Hill
MS-Windows is software; I'm referring to the hardware. :)
Ad astra - both ways!
-
I had to virtually rewrite an order processing system about 10 years ago when the VAT rate in the UK changed. As well as handling the possibility of rates changing, it also had to handle variable/intermediate rates depending on the product. Some products get the full rate, some are zero rated and some have intermediate rates applied. The company handled gift vouchers for many high street brands. VAT was charged on each at a rate calculated by HMRC depending on the type of goods sold by the retailer. If it was a clothes retailer it was charged the full rate, unless it was a children's clothes retailer when it was zero rated. Shops that sold adult and child ranges had an intermediate rate calculated based on their ratio of sales. Shops that stocked food were also affected, as most food is zero rated, except luxury foods, which attract the top rate. On the whole, the change in rate was a fairly minor problem! I also had to deal with the fact that the numpty who had writtedn the original system calculated the prices including VAT and excluding VAT and the VAT amount by using calculations prone to rounding errors. I fixed this by calculating just one value, then adding or subtracting this as necessary.
========================================================= I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka. =========================================================
I am sooo old that I remember the change from Purchase Tax to VAT - 1974. (And, yes, future changes to the rates were accommodated: a 1 stop change.) Job hopping my way through employment, it was amazing that so much potentially variable data was hard coded into programs. Y2K provided employment for the over 50s, so I won't knock it. But the in-house systems I audited would have crashed. (But I would say that, wouldn't I? :-D )
-
You should buy European software, everything related to taxes there is configurable. Upwards.
Tomaž Štih wrote:
taxes there is configurable. Upwards.
Any app that collects taxes should at the very least be configurable upwards. So rare politicians lower anything, other than the bar they are held to. :)
Common sense is admitting there is cause and effect and that you can exert some control over what you understand.
-
Tomaž Štih wrote:
taxes there is configurable. Upwards.
Any app that collects taxes should at the very least be configurable upwards. So rare politicians lower anything, other than the bar they are held to. :)
Common sense is admitting there is cause and effect and that you can exert some control over what you understand.
And their pants.
-
And their pants.
I had started typing something of that nature, then decided in the modern world its not just the kid sister you need to be worried about offending...
Common sense is admitting there is cause and effect and that you can exert some control over what you understand.