I think such a tax would be a violation of WTO rules regarding protected markets.
-- Katie Q-J Ryan Hottle wrote: > Dear Sustainable Tompkins Listserve Members: > > Quick idea I had last night: > > Operating a small scale farm is a challenging business when you constantly > have to go up against the likes of Acher Daniels Midland and Monsanto. Yet > healthful, local, sustainable food production is going to become absolutely > vital as peak oil makes itself more and more apparent. Readers of *Barbara > Kingsolver* certainly know this. > > *Imagine we put a tax/tariff on all non-local foods. The tax would be > assessed to the companies who sold or distributed the food as opposed to the > purchaser.* > > Citizens could then vote for what they money would be used for, though, the > recommendation could be made that the money be split four ways: > > 1) To support help support existing farmers and to encourage more young > people become farmers > 2) To establish an emergency foodbank / community kitchen in which all food > is purchased from local farms > 3) To establish a regional seedbank of bioregionally strong and suitable > seeds available to general public for planting > 4) To start a "free tree" program whereby citizens would be given edible > fruit and nut trees and berry bushes for edible landscaping that could be > planted in their home gardens. > > The tax/tariff could be assessed such that it only applied to business > grossing over a certain amount of income per year so that it did not put > strain on small local businesses, but at the same time generated a moderate > but nice little pot of money for important projects related to sustainable > agriculture such as those mentioned above. > > *Ideas? Suggestions? Feedback?* > > Peace and Thanks, > Ryan D. Hottle > > > -- _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
