Why the tax line shows in one cart and not in another (Ticket 1542403)
SureCart decides whether a cart collects tax at the moment the cart is created. If the cart was started while tax collection was still switched off, that cart keeps “tax off” for as long as it lives, even after you enable taxes in the store settings. The browser remembers the cart and keeps re-opening the same one, so the tax line never appears. A brand new cart started after taxes were enabled shows the tax line right away.
This store has tax collection enabled (EU VAT, 24% Estonian rate applied to all EU addresses). Both links below use the same product and the same Dutch address. The only difference is when the cart was created.
Test 1: cart that was created BEFORE tax was enabled
The Netherlands address is already filled in. Notice there is no tax line: Subtotal $29, Shipping $5, Total $34. Change the quantity or the address and it still stays without tax.
Test 2: fresh cart created AFTER tax was enabled
This link starts a brand new cart every time. Select Netherlands as the country and the line “Tax EE VAT $8.16” appears, Total $42.16.
How to get a fresh cart on your own store
- Open your checkout in a private / incognito window, or in a different browser. A new cart is created and the tax line shows.
- Or, in your normal browser, clear the site data (cookies and site storage) for your store domain, then add the product again.
- On a phone (Chrome on Android): the “Clear cache” option is not enough, because the cart is kept in site storage, not in the cache. Either open the store in an Incognito tab, or tap the icon on the left of the address bar, choose Site settings, then “Delete & reset” (older versions call it “Clear & reset”). Then add the product again.
- Removing the product from the cart and adding it again is NOT enough. The browser keeps re-using the same cart record.
- The tax line only appears once the shipping address is complete (country, street, postal code, city). Before that the cart shows no tax at all.
