GNUCash feature wishes

[Aldous Everard]

On Fri, 2003-08-15 at 10:35, Zeno R.R. Davatz wrote:

Dear Derek
> Dear Developers
> Hi List
> 
> 1. VAT-Expense
> **************
> I am half new to GNU-Cash, I am slowly changing from my proprietary Software to GNU-Cash. One thing I am chewing at the moment is how to add up all my different VAT-Expense-Accounts to one sum. I want one account that shows me only my VAT-Expenses say for each quarter. I have two VAT-Expense-accounts one for 7.6% VAT and one for 2.4% VAT. And I would also like a Total. This Total I do not have to pay to may goverment but I can deduct it from my VAT-Income.
> 
> 2. VAT-Income
> *************
> When I write bills I always have to add the VAT of 7.6% separately. That VAT I then have to give to my government at the end of every quarter. I would like to add up all my VAT-income to one account.
> 
> The VAT_Income-VAT_Expense account should give me the amount I owe to the government ;-)
> 
> 3. Depreciation
> ***************
> Does GNUCash handle depreciation (German: Abschreibung) in any ways? I would like to have a feature where I can enter depreciations to every account where I have goods/hardware that depreciate over the years. I normally have one account for every depreciable good/piece-of-hardware (whatever) in my Activa.
> If I enter a depreciable good into my existing accounting software I does several steps automatically for me:
> 
> 1. Creates new acount for the good (ie. Aktiva:Server Withie)
> 2. It deducts the VAT to the VAT-Expense-Account as the VAT is not depreciable.
> 3. It deducts the correct amount of my Aktiva:Server Withie _account according to the time period I entered; ie: Withie-Server has to be depreciated to 0 until 21.8.2005
> 
> Like this I have a perfect 'balance-sheet' at the end of the year ;-)) and I can show my Bookkeeper how great my accounting Software is.
> 
> 4. Customising the invoice
> **************************
> I figured out how to customise my invoice to my own look and feel - unfourtunately I can not customise the text yet without going into the code. 
> What I did not figure out is how to make those settings my default settings. Everytime I make a new bill I have to choose the layout of my invoice again (Logo, witch Text should appear on the invoice, etc.).
> What would also be nice is if I could add a starting invoice number, that automatically counts upwards after every invoice I print. This saves me time of typing my invoice number.
> 
> I am willing to contribute to above features _financially.
> 
> If you like you can give me estimates on every user story and tell me how long that would take to implement in ideal programming hours ('user story' as described in extremeProgramming.org).
> 
> Thanks for any Feedback.
> 
> Zeno
> 
I would also be extremely interested in any feedback on the last two points here.

Aldous