Plain-English summary#
Foodops comes with two tax rates: Zero (0%) and GST (8%, default). Every menu item and every purchase is tagged with one of these. On sales, the tax is Output Tax (collected from customers). On purchases, it's Input Tax (paid to suppliers). At GST filing time, you net the two — if you collected more Output than you paid Input, you owe the difference to MIRA (Maldives Inland Revenue Authority). The Input/Output Tax Statement reports help you prepare the return.
When you'd use this#
- Setting up your organisation — check the default GST rate matches your jurisdiction
- Adding a new tax rate (e.g., Tourism Goods & Services Tax — T-GST, 17% from 1 July 2025; the rate that applies is the one in force at the transaction's time of supply) — if your business is registered for it
- Monthly GST filing — run the Input + Output Tax Statements to prepare the return
- Zero-rating specific items (exports, certain exempt goods)
How to access#
- Sidebar: admin.foodops.io → Settings → Accounting → Taxes — the list of tax rates plus an add/edit dialog.
Key concepts#
- Output Tax — collected from customers on sales. What you owe the government.
- Input Tax — paid to suppliers on purchases. Credited against your Output Tax.
- Net GST — Output minus Input. Positive = you owe; negative = you can claim a refund.
- Zero-rated — taxed at 0%. Different from tax-exempt: zero-rated items still appear on tax returns (at 0%), exempt items don't appear at all.
- Default tax — the rate given to new items automatically. Only one rate can be default at a time.
- Past transactions don't change — changing a tax rate in Settings only affects future transactions. Past orders/POs keep the rate they were created with.
Common questions#
Q: GST rate changed nationwide — do I update the existing "GST" rate or create a new one? A: Create a new rate ("GST New" at the new %) and set the old one to inactive. This keeps the old rate on past orders — changing the existing rate's percentage would misrepresent past figures in reports.
Q: Can I have item-level tax overrides? A: Yes — each item has its own tax rate. The default just pre-fills it; change it per item as needed (e.g., bottled water at Zero, hot food at GST).
Q: Does Foodops automatically file GST with MIRA? A: No — Foodops produces the reports. You or your accountant file using the report figures.
Q: What's the difference between Zero-rated and not having a tax at all? A: Zero-rated items appear on tax statements at 0% — important for GST compliance because some zero-rated items still count toward your GST-registered turnover. Items with no tax at all don't appear on tax statements, which could leave gaps in your compliance.
Q: Can I set different tax rates per outlet? A: No — tax rates apply to your whole organisation. Different jurisdictions (e.g., a franchise across countries) need separate Foodops organisations.