Setting Up Taxes!

I'm pretty sure this has been discussed before, but I am having trouble finding a thread that as my specific issue that I understand. I know what taxes I want to set-up, I just don't know how. We are located in CA, LA County, City of Sun Valley. I know that I don't need to charge taxes to anyone outside of CA. I also know that I just charge a default 7.5% state tax to anyone outside my county (LA county). Finally, I charge a 9% tax to anyone in my County. My city doesn't have additional city taxes to worry about. To simplify:

All states, except CA - 0% Tax
CA state, except LA county - 7.5%
LA county - 9%

I'm having trouble setting this up. In the end, I hope that any parts going to anywhere inside my county gets charged a 9% tax automatically, inside the state 7.5%, etc.

This approach, complicated when state fiddles with whether seller or buyer determines rate. Three geozones, LA Co., CA Else, USA Else, Else. Two tax classes, Exempt, CA. Three tax rates (class CA), 0.0000, 0.0750, 0.0900. Combinations, Exempt in USA Else, Else; CA in LA Co., CA Else; 0.0000 in Else, USA Else; 0.0750 in CA Else; 0.0900 in LA Co..

Beware shipping, CA rules make it taxable under several circumstances, untaxed if record keeping supports untaxed.

Thanks for your reply.

I'm a bit lost. I have no idea how to set up a county in OC. The smallest zones I find is the states. Do I need to make new zones for the county? Is that even possible? If I do, how will OC figure out what locations are within that county? Also you mention two classes, isn't only one applicable per product?

In admin you will see System / Localization; yes, with an "s" unless you change it. Under Localization you will find Geo Zones, Tax Classes, Tax Rates. Under each you Insert a new one, you fill it in, you Save it. The "zones" that are states, provinces, prefectures (as suits different countries) are not the same as "geo zones". You make Geo Zones. Make a GEO ZONE for EACH of L.A., California, and USA (they are for assigning taxes, not delivering anything, and just happen to have -- unless you call them Fred and Bob -- the same names as state and country elsewhere for addresses). No, not 57 counties just to exclude one (L.A.), not 49 states just to exclude one (CA). Three geo zones, two tax classes, three fax rates. Make those (Insert, details, Save).

Think of it as set-theory, a cup on a saucer on a plate on a table, viewed straight down: you can tell them apart, you can see that they overlap, you have rules for table settings (Mom or Mum made sure of it). The whole USA, the whole California, the whole Los Angeles overlap; OC understands that outside little L.A. is NOT-L.A., outside small CA is NOT-CA and NOT-L.A., and outside big USA is NOT- any of those. That is simpler than putting in 57/58 counties and 49/50 states and 1/n countries as geo zones for combining with taxes. Think of it as myom -- make your own map, to augment the usual one.

If you want to see what complications you are able in California to avoid (for now, it has been worse in the past), look at New York and Washington, in http://forum.opencart.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=104914 . . .

Thanks for your quick reply. I get what you're talking about, somewhat. I previously had it almost the same way. When I made test orders from anywhere in the US, outside CA it would come to 0% tax. When I would order from CA, it would double tax me because both LA county and California have the same info under GeoZone. They have Country: United Sates and Zone: California. This is where i'm stuck. I don't know how to tell OC the location of LA county. I also didn't understand:

"Combinations, Exempt in USA Else, Else; CA in LA Co., CA Else; 0.0000 in Else, USA Else; 0.0750 in CA Else; 0.0900 in LA Co.."

I did everything else as you said. Again, thanks for your help.

I think I stumbled across that posting when I first started to search for the solution of my problem.

Combinations:
Localization Tax Class Exempt: USA outside CA, and world outside USA
Localization Tax Class Taxed: Los Angeles Co., and CA outside Los Angeles Co.
Localization Tax Class Rate 0.0000: USA outside CA, and world outside USA
Localization Tax Class Rate 0.0750: in CA but outside L.A. Co.
Localization Tax Class Rate 0.0900: in L.A. Co.
Geo Zone Los Angeles Co.: for seller location, base tax rate
Geo Zone California: for other counties, taxable
Geo Zone USA: for other states, not taxable

You can DISPLAY tax rates, customers subject to zero will not choose more, customers subject to 7.5 will not choose 9. You can withhold customer choice, an address Los Angeles or zip-wise included there means 9%; an address California means at least 7.5%; all else means 0%.

Not to startle you, but there are also various metro transit and other district sales and use tax rates to keep track of among collection/reporting/filing/paying requirements.

The link impressed you enough to continue looking for simple. You can set simple in admin.

For an overview of geo zones that speaks for itself and leads 5 pages of followups, see http://forum.opencart.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7099 .