permaculture

[April Sampson-Kelly <askpv@ozemail.com.au>]

In Australia, there is support for small business in the form of Tax 
incentives and
I would assume that this notion came from capitalist states and so would be 
supported in your government too.

If you are in partnership with your wife (may as well be seeing debt is 
sexually transmitted!)  who pays tax, then you should be able to 
offset your insufficient income with a tax benefit on her return.  
In Australia you have to 
show that your partner is actively involved - 
you also need an income in the business that is about 
$2000 to prove you are not a hobby - you must also show that you are
Working  and running a business - not just dreaming about doing it.
So keep records of site and customers etc.  you would do this anyway.
On showing activity in the business:
E.g. my partner supports our software
crashes and we couldn't manage without his support.  He edits the courses.  
He also helps a lot in the garden when he can (on weekends) 
this he would happily do anyway.
So, we have a legitamate partnership and he is an integral part of our small 
business
with a similar income to yours.
Without the tax return - wages would seem intolerably low however, I do this 
work 
because I feel its needed and I enjoy it.

He still pays a lot of tax, more than we as a small family consume in the 
community,
and I don't feel that we are cheating seeing as we are serving the community 
and
environment teaching and promoting permaculture.  Given that Australias top 
100
earners didn't pay any tax last year - I feel this is a good use of community 
funds.

Who else can teach to people in Remote Northern Territory or in Goal, 
from a happy home and office?
April

----------
From:   Spring Toms[SMTP:spring@ecst.csuchico.edu]
Sent:   Sunday, 7 July 1996 1:45
To:     csa-l@prairienet.org
Subject:        The CSA farmer's family "dine out" once a week


I just had this idea I am going to throw out to my subscribers. Most live
in fairly close proximity to the farm. I just competed my first full year
as a csa and figured my books. I found I netted about 2800 dollars for my
years labor. A bit frustrating I must say. Not discouraging though because
of the enthusiasm of some of my loyalist subscribers. Still if my wife
didn't have a good job and we didn't owned our house it could have been
"unsustainable."

It seems a bit unfair that I grow and distribute some of the finest,
healthiest, food in a way that is highly environmentally and socially
sensitive, work my butt into the ground,produce an abundance of produce,
and still not be able to earn but about $1.10/hr. (hell! it is unfair.)

But I love this connection with the people who eat my food. How can I best
explain to them both the problems of farming and the quality and care of
the food they are recieving. To do so would require me to sit down with
each of them individually and spend an evening talking about food, health,
environment, and community.

My idea is to do just that. I am going to propose that part of the loose
"understanding " of the
obligations subscribers will have to the farm, is to once per
year invite me and my wife to their home for a vegetarian - non-dairy
meal prepared around that week's harvest share.

I have about 50 subscribers so we would be eating out about once per week,
getting to know some very great people, eating great food.

I like to keep things loose and adaptable so this would not be a
requirement, only a suggestion for my subscribers, but one I think several
would embrase with pleasure.

I'll tell them, " Thursday evenings are good".  And start
marking my calendar.

Then, I have a cheap poloroid camera. I can take a picture of the host
family and the meal they have prepared, write up their recipies and post
it all the next week! A year or two of doing this and I'll have a great
CSA Cook Book and some great personal friends, and hopefully loyal
continuing subscribers.

It is just an idea. I haven't even proposed it yet but thought I'd throw
it out to you guys to make use of if it fits your setup.

Richard