KS sales tax web service

4 May 2007, 4:03 PM

#1

tndono

New Zenner

Join Date:: May 2007
Posts:: 2
Plugin Contributions:: 0

KS sales tax web service

KS provides a web service and database defined by XML WebServiceDescriptionLanguage document.

Per the KS Dept. of Revenue:

"You can integrate a real-time tax lookup by using a web service (as long as your cart is modifiable). The WSDL (Web Service Description Language) document, along with other documentation, can be found at http://www.ksrevenue.org/webservices.htm. The current address and rate files can be found on that page also, if you wish to take another approach and just need the data."

Here is the XML file describing the service:
http://services.taxwatch.biz/rates/kansas/sstp.wsdl

Can anyone suggest to me how to go about integrating this real time web service into my cart?

Tim

4 May 2007, 4:30 PM

#2

birdoasis

Inactive

Join Date:: Jun 2005
Location:: Cheney WA
Posts:: 1,123
Plugin Contributions:: 0

Re: KS sales tax web service

Does Kansas change their taxes so often that it has to have a real time update service?

4 May 2007, 4:43 PM

#3

gjh42

Black Belt

Join Date:: Jul 2005
Location:: Upstate NY
Posts:: 21,876
Plugin Contributions:: 8

Re: KS sales tax web service

It looks like Kansas has the same thing as New York - individual sales tax rates/reporting for localities like counties & cities.

New York has 80 some reporting localities with their own rates, which don't always follow zip code boundaries, so internet sales tax tracking is a nightmare for NY sellers. (There are also exceptions to various amounts of the sales tax for various kinds of items in various localities, and these rates can change at any point in the year in different localities... AAAAAARGH:)

I wish I were in Kansas click click click...

4 May 2007, 5:34 PM

#4

tndono

New Zenner

Join Date:: May 2007
Posts:: 2
Plugin Contributions:: 0

Re: KS sales tax web service

John,

Kansas has quarterly updates to their database. Often, rates do not change, but with each jurisdiction carrying it's own taxing authority, it's not inconcieveable that a change may happen here or there throughout a year.

I believe it's the intention of most states to come on line with the Streamlined Sales Tax initiative. IF and when states do that, and they provide a real time database approach as KS is doing, this may all become easier.

I'd still like to know if anyone has an idea where I could go for help in integrating the KS web service, described in XML, with ZenCart.

Tim

26 Jul 2007, 3:04 AM

#5

razathorn

New Zenner

Join Date:: May 2006
Posts:: 18
Plugin Contributions:: 0

Re: KS sales tax web service

I too run a zen cart site in kansas and will have to either charge a base tax from lenexa kansas (where I am at) and eat/overcharge the actual +/- difference when I go to file multi district sales tax returns or I can look at implementing something like this since I'm actually a software engineer.

Kansas is a streamline state as well -- but don't register or you will be forced to charge tax for out of state stuff, which is prohibited federally at the moment.

For kansas, I think a good alternative to the realtime database would be the csv files you can download from the ks revenue site. CSV files don't go offline and prevent sales, and since they can only update quarterly, updating the CSV file from the web seems like a pretty scalable method.

Wayne

29 Jan 2008, 9:03 PM

#6

yacko1975

New Zenner

Join Date:: Jan 2008
Posts:: 2
Plugin Contributions:: 0

Re: KS sales tax web service

Here is a quick and dirty example of using their webservice. Maybe someone can use this in the future to use Kansas's webservice to lookup and computer sales tax on. It was my understanding that other states would have webservices in the future and they were all to have basically the same calls.

<?php

$wsdl = "sstp.wsdl";
$client = new SoapClient($wsdl);

// var_dump($client->__getFunctions());
// var_dump($client->__gettypes());

$ReturnData = $client->GetFIPSBy5ZipOnly(66612,"2008-01-28");

//var_dump($ReturnData);
//echo $ReturnData->strReturnShortDesc;
//echo $ReturnData->strConfirmationNum;
//foreach ($ReturnData->FIPSRecordList as &$FipsRecord) {
//	echo $FipsRecord->strGeneralTaxRateIntrastate;
	
	
//}

?> 

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0//EN">
<HTML>
   <HEAD>
      <TITLE>
         A Small Hello 
      </TITLE>
   </HEAD>
<BODY>
   <H1>Streamlined Sales Example</H1><br />
   <br />
   Return Code: <?php echo $ReturnData->intReturnCode ?><br />
   Return Short Description: <?php echo $ReturnData->strReturnShortDesc ?><br />
   Confirmation Number: <?php echo $ReturnData->strConfirmationNum ?><br />
   Time Stamp: <?php echo $ReturnData->strEventTimeStamp ?><br />
<table width="700px">
<thead>
	<tr>
		<td>State</td>
		<td>Juris Type</td>
		<td>CompositeSER</td>
		<td>FIPS Code</td>
		<td>General Intrastate Rate</td>
		<td>General Interstate Rate</td>
		<td>Food/Drug Intrastate Rate</td>
		<td>Food/Drug Interstate Rate</td>
	</tr>
</thead>
<?php foreach ($ReturnData->FIPSRecordList as &$FipsRecord) { ?>
	<tr>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->intState ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strJurisdictionType ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strCompositeSER ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->intJurisdictionFIPS ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strGeneralTaxRateIntrastate ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strGeneralTaxRateInterstate ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strFoodDrugTaxRateIntrastate ?></td>
		<td><?php echo $FipsRecord->strFoodDrugTaxRateInterstate ?></td>
	</tr>
<?php } ?>	
</table>