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> So you’re saying we need an open-source Avalara alternative The problem is not that Avalara costs money. The real issue is that most companies that claim to

by jwr 4y ago

> So you’re saying we need an open-source Avalara alternative The problem is not that Avalara costs money. The real issue is that most companies that claim to "deal with tax compliance issues" actually don't. I tried using some in the past, and none worked correctly for my region (EU/Poland). The second problem is that you can't really "outsource tax compliance", because there is no clear cutoff line that you can point to. Taking my region as an example, I need invoicing with not just correct rates, but also compliant SAF-T export (JPK Faktura) and soon an interface to the electronic invoicing system that is being built by the government (KSeF), and an export to some of the formats used by accounting companies. And compliant invoicing here (especially on VAT issues) is no joke. You really need this to be perfect. I run a B2B SaaS and I wish I could outsource all of my subscription billing and invoicing. It's causing me tons of pain. But I haven't found a way to do that. On a side note, I don't even consider doing B2C sales, because VAT compliance on those in the EU is such a nightmare.

frankjr 4y ago
Have you looked into a reseller (Paddle being the most well known)? It wouldn't cut your tax fillings entirely but you would be dealing with a single entity, not every business individually.
- jwr 4y ago
  Yes. But that puts an intermediary between me and my customers, which has many drawbacks. It's "Paddle" they will see on their invoices, not me, and it's "Paddle" that has a billing relationship, not my business.
  - frankjr 4y ago
    That's true but the question is whether it actually matters that much. I bought my iPhone from a third party seller and I still know I have a product from Apple. It's the same thing with these reseller invoices - your SaaS will be listed as the item you're buying. In case of Paddle, you can even put your logo on the invoice. Your company name will also be included in card charge statements. So it's not that bad but I understand where you're coming from.

by jwr 4y ago

frankjr 4y ago

Have you looked into a reseller (Paddle being the most well known)? It wouldn't cut your tax fillings entirely but you would be dealing with a single entity, not every business individually.

jwr 4y ago
Yes. But that puts an intermediary between me and my customers, which has many drawbacks. It's "Paddle" they will see on their invoices, not me, and it's "Paddle" that has a billing relationship, not my business.
- frankjr 4y ago
  That's true but the question is whether it actually matters that much. I bought my iPhone from a third party seller and I still know I have a product from Apple. It's the same thing with these reseller invoices - your SaaS will be listed as the item you're buying. In case of Paddle, you can even put your logo on the invoice. Your company name will also be included in card charge statements. So it's not that bad but I understand where you're coming from.