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For those interested in sustaining themselves by making open / libre software, I plan on dedicating my next summer to starting a cooperative for hackers. The ba

For those interested in sustaining themselves by making open / libre software, I plan on dedicating my next summer to starting a cooperative for hackers. The basic idea is that if we can create a decentralized ecosystem for exchanging currency, ideas, and goods in an open and cooperative manner, we can solve our needs as hackers without resorting to non-free alternatives. You can find my early planning here: https://github.com/SirDinosaur/hackercoop https://github.com/SirDinosaur/hackercoop, and I'd greatly appreciate any questions, comments, critiques on how to make my / our dream possible.

DanBC 15y ago
How do you solve taxes?
- SirDinosaur 15y ago
  Let's rephrase the question: how do we solve taxes?
  - DanBC 15y ago
    In the UK: Taxes are complicated but mostly solved. Either your employers deduct taxes before you get your money or you are self-employed and pay an accountant to sort it out; and people you buy things from add taxes before you buy stuff. If you are rich you get an accountant and practice various forms of avoidance (legal, but those loopholes may close soon, and of dubious ethicality) to evasion (not legal). Missing from the above description are people involved in barter economies. There are several barter economy systems in the UK. The UK tax collectors (HM Revenue and Customs) are clear: barter trades can be taxable. Suggestion: Find an accountant that would like to work as part of a co-operative. The collective either has one big joint account (like a business) or lots of individual accounts - either way good accounting will legally minimise tax burden and help with other stuff.
    - SirDinosaur 15y ago
      Awesome, thanks for the suggestion. Do you suppose the accounting could also be automated, with help from an accountant, as part of the system that facilitates exchanges? My current thinking is to create a system that can be used by anyone, not just those within a single collective.

DanBC 15y ago

How do you solve taxes?

SirDinosaur 15y ago
Let's rephrase the question: how do we solve taxes?
- DanBC 15y ago
  In the UK: Taxes are complicated but mostly solved. Either your employers deduct taxes before you get your money or you are self-employed and pay an accountant to sort it out; and people you buy things from add taxes before you buy stuff. If you are rich you get an accountant and practice various forms of avoidance (legal, but those loopholes may close soon, and of dubious ethicality) to evasion (not legal). Missing from the above description are people involved in barter economies. There are several barter economy systems in the UK. The UK tax collectors (HM Revenue and Customs) are clear: barter trades can be taxable. Suggestion: Find an accountant that would like to work as part of a co-operative. The collective either has one big joint account (like a business) or lots of individual accounts - either way good accounting will legally minimise tax burden and help with other stuff.
  - SirDinosaur 15y ago
    Awesome, thanks for the suggestion. Do you suppose the accounting could also be automated, with help from an accountant, as part of the system that facilitates exchanges? My current thinking is to create a system that can be used by anyone, not just those within a single collective.