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... mom and pops...
Small businesses get an extra tax credit beginning in the 2018 filing year:
... the 20% Qualified Business Income Deduction. If your taxable income is less than $157,500 for individuals, or $315,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, then your deduction is generally 20% of the net income of your business.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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According to chart, Holland min wage is 73 euros a day, which for an 8 hour day is about $10/hr net, though a 36 hour week is usual. While that is gross, unemployment, healthcare and childcare from taxes s also usual.
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I don't discount what you're saying terracore, but Holland's national taxes start at 36% and go up past 50% of income. They have a better social safety net than us, so those with a small income can still count on medical care, housing, food, retraining, etc...
We need to figure out a way forward, and I agree that it can't just be "patches" to the system in the form of an ever rising minimum wage. I would also prefer that it is not super-socialist, since I think the incentive to work is a good thing. But we need to figure out how to create prosperity and dignity that everyone can attain if they work for it, even as more and more jobs go away. China is already looking into this with their social credit system, where cleaning the streets or taking care of the elderly earns credits towards better resources. Perhaps we could do something like that, minus the surveillance state... You want public benefits, you register for public work.
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Small businesses get an extra tax credit beginning in the 2018 filing year:
Funding for that tax credit is passed along to the public.
You want public benefits, you register for public work.
Current minimum wage is already low enough that privately-employed workers qualify for public benefits.
People who make more than minimum wage aren't automatically entitled to raises to match the cost of living increases caused by a higher minimum wage.
We need to figure out a way forward
America will figure something out ... and it's not going to be pretty.
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This whole urban development to me is so sad, Pahoa is no longer a quaint Hawaiian town. The best thing about the picture at the top of the Puna Kai strip mall is the sign that says: Rescue Me. Pele sent a warning about all of this not that long ago before fissure 8 when the lava hit the transfer station. We shall see but progress is not always in the best interest of the aina.
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Stopping would have cost them a lot of money. Continuing lets them hold all the tenants to their lease terms and no doubt charge extravegent rents. Some bland restaurants will go out of business, and other bland restaurants will pay even more to take their place. Eventually lava will take it all, and a giant insurance policy will put the money back in their pockets.
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Pahoa is no longer a quaint Hawaiian town.
Quaint is very very expensive to install and maintain. Residents of Puna don't have that kind of money, and there's no tourist accomodations so that outside revenue can make up the difference.
Hamakua will be very quaint, as stipulated in their shiny new "zero-growth" CDP.
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https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/201...nksgiving/
While a pre-launch celebration is planned later this month for the Puna Kai shopping center in Pahoa, most shops in the development itself are expected to be open by Thanksgiving.
But only two or three of the tenants might actually be open during the kickoff event, Pinkston said.
...
According to Pinkston, Malama Market has faced construction delays — “primarily deliveries from the mainland†— and will open in January.
Guessing the "2 or 3" stores will be the "least useful" (not the restaurants, fitness center, vet, or auto parts).
Looking forward to the next revision "open in time for Christmas"...
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210,000 people now live on the Big Island. Puna continues to be the fastest growing region. The population has nearly trippled from when some of you moved here back in the 70's and 80's. Those Puna born and raised like me? Well, this population growth has been nothing short of heartbreaking. It will NEVER go back to being that quaint Hawaiian town ever again. Time to look forward and plan accordingly. It was through backroom handshakes and lack of planning that caused the overpopulated mess we are in now. Puna/Pahoa will never be quaint again. We all have to deal with it and move forward.
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According to stats Hawaii has had a rate of growth over the last decade of 3.86% (
http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/). Puna has been a large part of that.
Hawaii's 10,931 square miles has a lot of mountains and it's population is clustered giving us a ratio of 221 per square mile. Connecticut is only 4,841 square miles with a ratio of 771 people per square mile.
I still think we are relatively fortunate.
One truism I read recently was that 'the future will not be like the past'. Hard to argue with that.
I came here about 30 years ago and appreciated Puna and Kau as, what I saw as, the last broad grasp of old laid back Hawaii. Not true for Puna anymore but Kau still fits that bill in my eyes.
So if you want th eold sleepy village or rural life it is still available and not that far from here.
Best wishes.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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