=== AlaricForge EU VAT Lite ===
Contributors: tntfactory
Tags: woocommerce, vat, eu vat, vies, tax
Requires at least: 6.8
Tested up to: 7.1
Requires PHP: 8.1
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

EU VAT foundation for WooCommerce: 27 standard rates, basic origin/destination mode, VIES validation, and explainable VAT decisions.

== Description ==

AlaricForge EU VAT Lite is a free EU VAT foundation for WooCommerce.

It provides real standalone functionality:

* Catalogue/readiness checks for all 27 EU Standard VAT rates.
* Safe import of missing country-wide WooCommerce Standard VAT rates.
* Merchant-controlled origin or destination VAT mode for cross-border EU B2C goods.
* Customer type (Consumer / Business) checkout field.
* EU VAT-number field for business customers.
* Basic explainable VAT-decision snapshots on WooCommerce orders.
* Optional European Commission VIES validation for business VAT numbers, plus an administrator VIES checker.
* HPOS and Checkout Blocks compatibility declarations.
* WordPress Privacy Policy Guide integration.

= Important scope =

Lite automatic tax application is deliberately scoped to common B2C goods scenarios and does not calculate the EUR 10,000 cross-border B2C threshold automatically. The merchant selects origin or destination VAT mode based on their actual VAT position.

Lite also does not provide a compliance ledger, threshold crossing locks, refund audit trails, OSS working reports, submission snapshots, drift detection, advanced anomaly diagnostics, or audit CSV exports. Those are separate AlaricForge Pro capabilities and no Pro code is locked inside Lite.

Lite does not automatically apply intra-EU B2B VAT exemptions. It can validate and identify business transactions, but B2B VAT treatment must be reviewed manually or handled with Pro.

Product eligibility for reduced, zero, exempt or special national VAT rates remains the merchant's responsibility.

This plugin is a compliance-assistance tool and does not replace tax or legal advice.

Support and product information:
https://alaricforge.com/eu-vat-oss-manager-plugin/

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate WooCommerce.
2. Install and activate AlaricForge EU VAT Lite.
3. Open **WooCommerce > Settings > Tax > EU VAT Lite** and configure the seller country, B2C VAT mode and optional VIES checker.
4. Open **WooCommerce > EU VAT Lite** to review setup/readiness.
5. Confirm the B2C VAT mode matches your actual tax position.
6. Review the 27-country Standard-rate readiness result.
7. Import missing Standard VAT rates if appropriate.
8. Enable VIES validation only if you want EU business VAT numbers checked with the European Commission service.
9. Review **Settings > Privacy > Policy Guide** and adapt the suggested privacy text.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does Lite calculate the EUR 10,000 EU threshold automatically? =

No. Lite uses the origin/destination mode selected by the merchant. Automatic threshold evidence and historical threshold crossing locks are Pro capabilities.

= Does Lite submit OSS returns? =

No. Lite does not prepare or submit OSS returns.

= Does Lite support all EU countries? =

The built-in Standard-rate catalogue covers all 27 EU Member States. Reduced, zero and special rates are not automatically classified.

= What happens if AlaricForge Pro is active too? =

Lite stays dormant to avoid double VAT processing. Pro is a separate standalone plugin.

== External services ==

= European Commission VIES =

VIES validation is optional and disabled by default.

If a store administrator enables VIES validation, EU VAT numbers supplied by business customers at checkout and EU VAT numbers manually submitted by administrators through the Lite VIES checker are sent to the European Commission VIES REST service for validation. This transmission occurs only while VIES validation is enabled. The service returns validity information and may return business-identification data supplied through VIES.

Service:
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/

European Commission legal notice:
https://commission.europa.eu/legal-notice_en

European Commission privacy statement:
https://commission.europa.eu/privacy-policy-websites-managed-european-commission_en

No AlaricForge account is required to use Lite, and Lite does not send usage analytics or telemetry to AlaricForge.

== Upgrade to Pro ==

AlaricForge Pro is a separate commercial plugin for merchants that need deeper VAT compliance operations, including automatic threshold evidence, historical crossing locks, transaction-location evidence, compliance ledger/refund audits, OSS working reports, review workflows, immutable submitted-period snapshots, drift detection, advanced System Health and audit exports.

Lite remains fully functional without Pro.

Learn more about AlaricForge EU VAT & OSS Manager:
https://alaricforge.com/eu-vat-oss-manager-plugin/

== Privacy ==

Lite may store a basic VAT-decision snapshot in WooCommerce order metadata. If VIES validation is enabled, VAT-number validation evidence may also be stored with the order.

Lite contributes suggested privacy-policy wording through WordPress **Settings > Privacy > Policy Guide**.


== Screenshots ==

1. **EU VAT Lite Setup** — seller configuration status, 27-country Standard VAT-rate readiness, VIES checker and privacy guidance.
2. **WooCommerce Tax Settings** — seller EU country, B2C VAT mode and optional VIES validation settings.
3. **Consumer order VAT decision** — explainable EU B2C distance-sale classification with destination VAT applied.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Added WordPress.org coding-standard hardening for settings nonces/input handling, cached tax-rate inspection and VIES service documentation.
* Uses the WordPress HTTP API for optional VIES requests.
* Initial WordPress.org-ready Lite release candidate.
* Added 27-country Standard VAT-rate readiness/import.
* Added merchant-controlled origin/destination B2C mode.
* Added optional VIES validation.
* Added basic order VAT-decision evidence.
* Added privacy-policy integration.
