accounting software *free & open source*

[Ori Idan]

On Sun, Jul 7, 2013 at 1:53 AM, Geoffrey S. Mendelson <
geoffreymendelson at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 7/7/2013 1:20 AM, Micha Feigin wrote:
>
>  On the other hand as memory serves, you can run your books using an open
>> source software and then submit the printouts to a certified accounted
>> to make a legal report. You may need to work with generic receipts in
>> parallel though.
>>
>
>
> As it was explained to me by my accountant, the tax authorities don't care
> how you keep YOUR books, they only care that the submissions to them are
> done properly.
>
> Properly means that an accepted (certified?) program is used and that the
> data was entered by a level 3 (starts at 1) certified bookkeeper or a
> certified public accountant (CPA).
>
> In real terms this means for small business the data is sent to your
> accountant and they (or their certified bookkeeper) enters it into their
> program on their computer and submits that to the tax authorities.
>
> At that point the responsibility for the data being entered properly and
> the program being a legal one is borne by your accountant and not you.
>
> IMHO this is preferable because my experience in being an independent
> consultant, the owner of a small consulting firm, and involved with
> startups over various times, is that any money spent paying a professional
> to keep your books and prepare your tax returns is well worth it. YMMV.
>
> Most accountants will accept data in XLS (Excel spreadsheet format), so
> you can enter the data in an Excel spreadsheet and send them the file.
>
> I assume that an Excel spreadsheet created and maintained by OpenOffice
> would be acceptable to them.
>
> Geoff.
>
>
> Tax authorities has nothing against OSS software and they already gave
approval to OSS software twice (Drorit, my software and it's fork Linet,
both GPL).
The real truth is that they only ask to see several things:
1. Invoices can not be deleted and numbered sequentially without repeating.
2. No simple ability to delete transcations
3. Output of what they call Open Format files, these are files with all
transactions in a special format they require.

That is all, no question about OSS or not.
There was a debate last time they registered Linet and they agreed to
register it so they have nothing against OSS.
GNUCASH can not be registered since it can not output Open Format files.

Note that I have good experience and knowledge about the subject as I make
a living out of Accounting software.
I have written several software packages and also consult business about
the same.

-- 
Ori Idan
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