Interesting idea. The question I have is how do you prevent the distributor from passing the tax on in price increases to the consumer? Another issue is the definition of "local" as when one makes laws, a precise definition of a term is required.
What might be helpful is to give a property tax rebate to local farmers who sell their product locally. I mention this because as the dollar declines against foreign currencies, and as climate change creates crop failures around the globe, buyers from outside one's local area could come in and bid for local produce, putting it beyond the reach of what I expect will become our increasingly financially strapped communities. What would be best of all is to address the amount of money being paid by people in this state to the Federal gov't via taxes that is ultimately going to military purposes. I once calculated that the amount paid in federal income tax by New York state would be enough to install a 1.5kw PV array on the roofs of 95 percent of **American*** households Lyn On 10 Apr 2008 at 15:01, 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 > > > -- > Ryan Darrell Hottle > > The Renaissance Group > Program Manager > www.ConserveFirst.com > > Global Climate Solutions > www.GlobalClimateSolutions.org > (coming soon!) > > Ohio Peak Oil Action (OPOA) > Co-Founder, Director > www.ohiopeakoilaction.org > > 30 N. Rose Blvd. > Akron, OH 44022 > > (740) 258 8450 > _______________________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________________ 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
