In commerce, time equals money, especially when you’re working with repeating tax or pricing computations. If you own a retail establishment and are producing invoices or work in purchasing, well, purchasing calculators wholesale from suppliers is a great way to save costs, and being able to easily apply or remove taxes using these calculators will greatly increase your productivity.
Luckily enough, the majority of desktop calculator suppliers’ calculators come with TAX+ and TAX- keys, which are specifically meant to ease tax obligations with a single press of a key. In this tutorial, we will show you how to utilize those functions, how to establish the tax levels, and how to apply them in real business practice.
1. What Is the Tax Function on a Desktop Calculator?
Now, before I explain to you how to use it, first let us find out what the TAX function does and why companies use it.
1) TAX+ — Apply an Instant Tax Rate
The TAX+ button lets you easily add a calculated tax rate to any number you enter. It’s wonderful when you have to calculate tax-inclusive prices on the fly, as in adding VAT or sales tax to a product’s original price.
2) TAX — Instantly Cancel a Tax Rate
Conversely, TAX- helps you separate the tax amount from an amount which is tax-inclusive. This proves useful in the event that you need to find the underlying original amount of an amount that is VAT or consumption tax-inclusive.
3) Why Use These Instead of Doing It Manually?
Although you can always divide or multiply out manually (like multiplying by 1.15 to calculate 15% VAT), the TAX key is faster and less hassle, especially in quick or heavy-duty work.
2. Preparing Your Calculator for the Tax Rate
Unless you have your calculator prepared with the correct tax rate, TAX keys won’t be of much use. This is how to set (or reset) the rate.
1) Step-by-Step Guide to Setting a Tax Rate
- Clear the display using AC or C.
- Set the tax rate as a whole number. Set 15 for 15%.
- Press and hold the RATE or SET key (model dependent).
- Wait for acknowledgment—calculators will flash or beep to signal success.
- Release the key. Your calculator now uses this rate for TAX+ and TAX-.
2) How to Change or Reset the Rate
If your tax rate itself changes, you just redo the calculation with the new rate. In most cases, calculators will automatically put in the new amount for what you originally input.
3. Adding Tax to a Base Price (TAX+ in Use)
Now that we have established the rate, let’s experiment using the TAX+ function in actual business usage.
1) Example: Adding VAT on a Retail Price
You retail an item at $200, and you must add 15% VAT.
Steps:
- Input 200
- Hit TAX+
Result:
- The calculator shows 230, base price + 15% VAT.
2) Use Case: Retail or Client Quotes
This feature is ideal when:
- Showing customers the final selling prices
- Creating price tags or menus
- Quick estimating in client meetings
No need to compute manually by multiplying by 1.15—you see the correct answer immediately.
4. Subtracting Tax from a Total (TAX- in Action)
As always, firms are required to reverse tax to find the initial cost prior to adding tax.
1) Example: Determining Pre-Tax Value from Total
You are presented with a bill of $345, including tax and wish to find out the initial value prior to the addition of 15% VAT.
Steps:
- Enter 345
- Press TAX-
Result:
- The number that comes up is 300, the initial value.
2) Use Case: Accounting or Supplier Auditing
This reverse calculation comes in handy when:
- Verifying the supplier price
- Allowing tax on the receipt of invoices
- Creating tax and net cost independent financial reports
5. Handling Multiple Tax Rates (Advanced Function)
There are some businesses operating in more than one tax rate jurisdiction or offering different services at different tax rates. That is how you handle that.
1) Shifting Tax Rates
All the advanced calculators allow you to define two tax rates—usually TAX1 and TAX2. For example:
- TAX1 = 5% (service tax)
- TAX2 = 18% (goods VAT)
You can switch between them depending on the product or transaction type.
2) Reprogramming Manually for Each Case
In the event that your calculator only supports one tax rate per case, you can simply alter the rate immediately using the standard RATE key method. It takes less than 10 seconds.
6. General Business Situations Where the Tax Function Shines
The TAX function is not reserved for accountants—it finds many uses across a wide range of industries.
1) Retail and Point-of-Sale
Cashiers and retailers use TAX+ to present tax-inclusive prices without accessing an independent POS system or paper price sheet.
2) Accounting and Bookkeeping
Accountants use TAX to compute net amounts for postings to ledgers, tax returns, and auditing vendor accounts.
3) Sales and Procurement
Sales personnel use TAX+ when bringing prices to customers. Procurement personnel use TAX to check supplier quotes against pre-tax sums budgeted.
4) Hospitality and Food Services
Restaurants and hotels charge service tax or local sales tax on bills immediately using TAX+, which encourages faster billing and check-out.
7. Tips for Making Better Use of the Tax Facility
To make yourself available to the maximum convenience of your calculator’s tax facilities, observe these tips:
1) Keep a Label on Your Set Rate
If your calculator doesn’t display the stored rate, use a small label to remind yourself (e.g., “15% VAT”).
2) Check the Rate After Battery Changes
Some calculators clear stored figures when the battery is replaced. Check the rate every time before using.
3) Make use of Dual Power Models
Choose calculators with both solar and battery power to ensure continuous use, particularly in high volume settings such as stores or countertops.
4) Use with Memory and GT Functions
Utilize memory storage (M+, MR) and GT (Grand Total) with TAX+/- for multi-item or multi-invoice applications. It will make your work faster and less prone to errors.
8. Choosing a Tax Calculator
While purchasing a calculator, make sure it has prominently marked TAX+, TAX-, and RATE keys. Good models also feature:
- Large, sloping display
- Dual power (solar + battery)
- Memory and grand total keys
- Large, comfortable buttons for rapid input
Desktop calculators from brands such as Casio, Sharp, Canon, and Citizen are available with these capabilities at various prices. Select one depending on your workflow, budget, and usage.
9. Conclusion
Tax computation does not appear to be a huge task, but performing it dozens—and even hundreds—of—times a day will add up. Having a desktop calculator with a TAX+ and TAX- key will save you time, avoid errors, and give the impression of being more professional to customers or co-workers.
Whether you’re invoicing a customer, auditing invoices from suppliers, or retail pricing, the convenience of adding or subtracting tax instantly by the click of a button is revolutionary. It’s one of the easiest features, but used correctly, it makes a huge difference.
If you still perform tax calculations by hand, it’s time to take your procedure to the next step—with one touch, you’ll accelerate business calculations quicker, neater, and safer.