What price would convince you to buy TaxCalc Accounts Production?

They won't get any business out of me in future but if they want any users who aren't hooked on VT yet then they need to be meeting VT's prices. Otherwise they're no better than a lot of the competition out there....

There is very little information available, no demos and no free trials that I can see.

Is it better than VT, which is less than half the price and has proven its worth, and already has integration with TaxCalc tax software AND integration with it's own bookkeeping software?

It needs to be something really special (and much much better than VT) to justify that price, and I am yet to be convinced.

With VT costing around 30% of the renewal price of Taxcalc Accounts I doubt if this product will be of any interest to the small practice owner. in my humble opinion I think it should be packaged with taxcalc pro suite at an affordable price (i.e. around £500 + VAT for both tax & accounts). if Taxcalc can't do this, then I think they have simply forgotten about the small practices that have supported and made them what they are today. A risky strategy in my view but I suppose we'll see what happens soon enough.

When giving feedback on the hub, I was asked about the Tax Calc accounts production package. I made my views very clear:

• It needs to be better than VT
• Same or lower price than VT
• It needs to integrate really with the hub

This would then make TaxCalc accounts a no brainer.

Since Anne Porter left TaxCalc dors not communicate with its users. This is despite my request to them to respond to various questions raised on Any Answers. What shocks me that they pay for advertising. What is the point? If you communicate with your users your advertising costs would fall by a big amount.

TaxCalc please PM me if you would like to hire me to handle your public relations on AW.  

I am another VT user and it would have to be very special and no more expensive to tempt me away.

When I got an email from TaxCalc I was astounded that they'd pitched it at such a high price considering its market - it suggested to me someone didnt research the competition very well.

I have to say what a wasted effort on TaxCalcs part too not to send a link to a free demo, and or some screen shots of what the software looks like - not quite sure how they think they'll sell it?

With pretty much all new software that comes on the market these days you can get a free period to test it, a demo or some videos to show what it can do.

From what I can see Taxcalc has none of these.

If you sign up blind you get £49 off the rather hefty £499 price tag....wow.

I wouldn't buy anything without having first tried it to assess suitability. What if you part with your £500 and find out its actually not very good or not suitable or needs more work....what then?

I'd be interested to see the take up figures for the coming month because I can't see there being a mad rush.

An accountant pal of mine was recently (a few days ago!) asked to participate in the beta testing of the accounts production.

It seems rather late in the day for beta testing!

Taxcalc has failed to keep its promise - free hub for professional tax calc users. Now they are saying free hub for those who buy their accounts package.

For this reason nothing will now convince me to buy their accounts software.

We realise that we haven’t said a great deal until our recent announcement and that’s something that is going to change.

Firstly, a little background…we at TaxCalc are a dynamic team and we hope that our customers realise that we do listen to what you say and we do react to give you the products you need. Any long-term users of TaxCalc will know that we don’t just produce the same updated software every year but rather we listen to what you are saying and try to add the features that you’re asking for.

That said, it’s time to expand the range. We have big plans for the future and we’ve never wanted to rest with Tax alone. We have spent a great deal of time and effort investing in a new way of doing things…a system that allows the development of our software to keep up with your requests and our own ideas!

If we’ve fallen a little silent its genuinely because we’ve been so focused on this and the future of the software. Now we’ve announced the forthcoming Accounts Production software but we will be going straight into expanding the “Hub” with more and more functionality and providing a stand-alone “Practice Manager” on the Hub as soon as possible…we won’t be waiting until next spring.

We have a plan for other features and modules but will, of course, be listening to you all for feedback and guidance on where you want us to take it. The system we have allows us to rapidly and efficiently develop new features and modules and we will have a lot more news and modules over the coming months.

Please keep talking, we will be listening and I promise that we will respond.

Greg Case
Head of Product Management
TaxCalc

support@taxcalc.com

I have been waiting for this since it was first announced. I am in need of a low cost practice management software, preferably cloud based which allows me to keep track of fees, billing periods, write quickly engagement letters using templates, send reminders of deadlines. As a small practice I am not fussed about timesheets or other features such as complex workflow or approvals  that bigger practices would need so you could make it modularised and licence it that way.

The bottom line is that it should make life easier and the effort saved to be worth the fee paid.

I am still working in the software business and I could help you with UAT or beta testing as this is what i do besides tax.

They might have got money out of me by deception the first time but I won't be taken for a fool again. There was a little boy who cried 'wolf' one too many times, I think Taxcalc should have read that story as 'I promise' no longer cuts it.

Taxcalc may have got this wrong. They spoke to me and others at an Inst Financial Accountants seminar sometime ago and convassed thought on the need to produce an accounts production package. Many people responded that VT did the trick for them with the book-keeping add-in making the package irresistible for small prctitioners dealing with SMEs.

I am a committed user of Taxcalc tax products - they are fantastic with excellent support - but it would take a lot to tempt me away from VT. I have been using VT for maybe 15 years. My staff like it and the book-keeping to accounts link is the killer application.

I hope this doesn't mean that Taxcalc takes its mind of its tax products to support what looks like a lame duck initiative.

TaxCalc you have dodged the key point - will the hub be given free to TaxCal prof users? This is what was promised.

I am intrigued by why you are asking what price point you should be pitching this at? Surely you should be concentrating on what features it has to better its value.

I actually disagree that the price is too high. It seems reasonable to me.

From my point of view I have a few months left on my licence in which I will then be reviewing my software requirements. VT and Taxcalc are both on my list to review!

It's not just the price, it's the function!

VT has an integrated and very user friendly book-keeping product that makes accounts preparation very easy. I simply would not buy another accounts programme until it is better, easier and cheaper than VT. Even then, loyalty and customer service would probably keep with with VT.

Sorry Taxcalc.

The problem TaxCalc have, which they have either foolishly ignored or not thought through is simple - VT is a fantastic package. It simply does the job extremely well and is a great value for money product, and as such it has a huge loyal following by small practices. It is just therefore common sense if you want to get those loyal followers to move it has to be something pretty special and price has just GOT to be the same or no more. TaxCalc have made a very big mistake with pricing, the way they have introduced their accounts package and the failed promises of the Hub and thats a real shame because their tax software is darn good.

As I can't find the home page article I will assume others can't either, so I have copied my post here.

I will not be buying their accounts production, and I am not sure I will be buying their tax software again.

Other software providers that are attractive to sole practitioners have already given their customers a CRM and the ability to file online to Companies House.

I have already made my views of TaxCalcs accounts production very clear in the TaxCalc discussion group, however, in response to comments regarding the price, it may be comparable if you require 2 users, but why????? There doesn't seem to be a cheaper version eg. for a limited number of accounts maybe, or a single user.

TaxCalc has built it's success by catering for the sole practitioner, and even non-accountants. It gives the impression that TaxCalc are changing direction away from the sole practitioner, and I find this very unwelcome, and quite amazing! 

I'm another who was looking forward to the next version of the Hub, with or without accounts production. We use VT and Taxcalc's tax products at present, and have no complaints about either except for VT's lack of an LLP template at present.

I was, frankly, astounded to get an email from Taxcalc announcing accounts production software and "inviting" me to sign up, at a price 3x what I pay for VT (and not forgetting that's without the bookkeeping element too), without even a demo. Quite amazing, especially since we tested the disastrous Hub 1.0 and therefore know beyond doubt that they don't always get everything right first time. 

I have no plans to immediately jump ship on the tax products, but neither will I be in ANY rush on the accounts production. If nothing else, for that price, someone else can find any bugs thank you very much!

This drives me absolutely mad.   It's on this thread, it's on Taxcalc's website advertising this new accounts production software, frankly, it's everywhere!   What's going on?

Get your grammar books out!   It's doesn't mean its, and its doesn't mean it's.  

I definutly woodnt by from a suplyer who dusnt no how two spel.

Fish pea's and chips for dinner. It was grate!

Agreed - I just CAN NOT understand how anyone at TaxCalc truly thought they'd sell their product in this way!??

TaxCalc...over to you....

And there is no response from Taxcalc. Quite amazing!

Come ON Taxcalc... do you care what we think AT ALL??

They have clearly been ''so focused on this and the future of the software''

 :-)

.... no response at all from Tax Calc - perhaps John Stodyk can approach them for an interview 

Is this the demise of Taxcalc? Should I be looking to switch to BTC for my Tax software?

They promised to respond to an issue I have with them. Even with reminders, they are not responding.