Every Cooperator must contribute his/her yearly contribution to become and remain a Cooperator.
The level of this contribution, and how it adapts to the economic or social situation of each Cooperator, is defined by a democratic decision of all Cooperators, as part of the decision on the Cooperative's annual budget.
For the current budget year (2026), we start from the following consideration: one of the pillars of the CosmoPolitical Cooperative's long-term vision, namely the Society of Agreement, is social justice. We practise what we preach and implement in our Cooperative what we want for society as a whole. That is why we have established a system of progressive contribution for Cooperative members: the wealthiest members pay a higher proportion of their higher income, and therefore much more overall than the poorest members. Progressive contributions are the common feature of all contributions systems aiming at more equal societies.
The principle is as follows. The monthly contribution of a household or individual to the Cooperative's activities is a small fraction of their monthly income, ranging from 0.1% to 0.7%. This fraction is higher when the monthly income per person in the household or of the individual is higher. When several people in the same household are members of the Cooperative and contribute at the household level, they share the contribution.
How to calculate your monthly contribution
You can contribute to the activities of the CosmoPolitical Cooperative in two ways:
- as a unified contribution at the household level, if you feel able, in agreement with the other members of your household, to commit on its behalf;
- separately, if you cannot or do not wish to commit on behalf of your entire household.
Calculate your monthly contribution on a unified basis for your household
This is the sum of all income coming into your household, after you have paid your taxes and social security contributions, and after you have received your social security benefits. If you are an employee and your income tax is deducted at source, this is the amount you are paid each month, to which you add any social security benefits you receive.
Count as ‘persons’ all those who depend on your household income to live, including yourself and, for example, your children who are studying elsewhere but whom you support. Give only a whole number.
Link to the complete scale, which you will see is indeed progressive
After determining your contribution using the calculator above, purchase below as many yearly contributions per person, identified by the number of the bracket corresponding to your household, as there are people in your household. The total of your payment is the annual contribution for your household - which you can, if you wish, spread over 12 months.
Special cases
- if your household includes several Co-operators, you divide the payment of contributions among yourselves;
- in the case of joint custody of a child, for the sake of simplicity, that child is considered as one whole person in the household.
Important note
Regardless of the number of people in the household and of the amount of his/her contribution, each Cooperator has only one vote in the decisions of the CosmoPolitical Cooperative.
Calculate your monthly contribution on a separate basis
This is the sum of all your income after you have paid your taxes and social security contributions and after you have received your social security benefits. If you are an employee and your income tax is deducted at source, this is the amount you are paid each month, to which you add any social security benefits you receive.
Count as ‘people’ all those who depend on your income to live, including yourself and, for example, your children who are studying elsewhere but whom you support. Give a whole number only.
Link to the complete scale, which you will see is indeed progressive
After determining your contribution using the calculator above, purchase below as many yearly contributions per person, identified by the number of the bracket corresponding to your income, as there are people who depend on that income. The total of your payment is your annual contribution - which you can, if you wish, spread out over 12 months.
Special cases
- In the case of joint custody of a child, for the sake of simplicity, this child is considered as one whole person dependent on your income.
- If, for reasons of confidentiality or any other reason, you do not wish to disclose the number of people dependent on your income, you should calculate as a single person. Your contribution rate will then be higher.
Important note
Regardless of the number of dependents on his or her income and of the amount of his/her contribution, each Cooperator has only one vote in the decisions of the CosmoPolitical Cooperative.
Table of monthly contributions based on net monthly income per person
| Tranche number | Net disposable income per month in the household / number of people in the household (EUR per person per month) – bottom of the bracket | Net disposable income per month in the household / number of persons in the household (EUR per person per month) – top of the bracket | Rc: Rate applied to the middle of the bracket | Income from the middle bracket (EUR per person per month) | Monthly contribution per household member (EUR per person per month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 0 | 124 | 0,100 % | 63 | 0,06 |
| 1b | 125 | 249 | 0,125 % | 188 | 0,23 |
| 1c | 250 | 374 | 0,150 % | 313 | 0,47 |
| 1d | 375 | 499 | 0,175 % | 438 | 0,77 |
| 2a | 500 | 624 | 0,200 % | 563 | 1,13 |
| 2b | 625 | 749 | 0,225 % | 688 | 1,55 |
| 2c | 750 | 874 | 0,250 % | 813 | 2,03 |
| 2d | 875 | 999 | 0,275 % | 938 | 2,58 |
| 3a | 1 000 | 1 249 | 0,300 % | 1 125 | 3,38 |
| 3b | 1 250 | 1 499 | 0,325 % | 1 375 | 4,47 |
| 3c | 1 500 | 1 749 | 0,350 % | 1 625 | 5,69 |
| 3d | 1 750 | 1 999 | 0,375 % | 1 875 | 7,03 |
| 4a | 2 000 | 2 249 | 0,400 % | 2 125 | 8,50 |
| 4b | 2 250 | 2 499 | 0,413 % | 2 375 | 9,80 |
| 4c | 2 500 | 2 749 | 0,425 % | 2 625 | 11,16 |
| 4d | 2 750 | 2 999 | 0,438 % | 2 875 | 12,58 |
| 4e | 3 000 | 3 249 | 0,450 % | 3 125 | 14,06 |
| 4f | 3 250 | 3 499 | 0,463 % | 3 375 | 15,61 |
| 4g | 3 500 | 3 749 | 0,475 % | 3 625 | 17,22 |
| 4h | 3 750 | 3 999 | 0,488 % | 3 875 | 18,89 |
| 5a | 4 000 | 4 499 | 0,500 % | 4 250 | 21,25 |
| 5b | 4 500 | 4 999 | 0,513 % | 4 750 | 24,34 |
| 5c | 5 000 | 5 499 | 0,525 % | 5 250 | 27,56 |
| 5d | 5 500 | 5 999 | 0,538 % | 5 750 | 30,91 |
| 5e | 6 000 | 6 499 | 0,550 % | 6 250 | 34,38 |
| 5f | 6 500 | 6 999 | 0,563 % | 6 750 | 37,97 |
| 5g | 7 000 | 7 499 | 0,575 % | 7 250 | 41,69 |
| 5h | 7 500 | 7 999 | 0,588 % | 7 750 | 45,53 |
| 6a | 8 000 | 8 999 | 0,600 % | 8 500 | 51,00 |
| 6b | 9 000 | 9 999 | 0,613 % | 9 500 | 58,19 |
| 6c | 10 000 | 10 999 | 0,625 % | 10 500 | 65,63 |
| 6d | 11 000 | 11 999 | 0,638 % | 11 500 | 73,31 |
| 6e | 12 000 | 12 999 | 0,650 % | 12 500 | 81,25 |
| 6f | 13 000 | 13 999 | 0,663 % | 13 500 | 89,44 |
| 6g | 14 000 | 14 999 | 0,675 % | 14 500 | 97,88 |
| 6h | 15 000 | 15 999 | 0,688 % | 15 500 | 106,56 |
| 7 | ≥ 16 000 | 0,700 % | 17 000 | 119,00 |
Calculation examples:
Unified contributions at household level
- Household of 4 people, only one of whom earns the minimum wage working part-time (€1,020 net/month):
- Net income/person/month: 1,020/4 = €255/person/month.
- This corresponds to bracket 1c, where the contribution is €0.47/person/month.
- As the household comprises 4 people, this corresponds to a contribution of: 0.47 x 4 = €1.68 per month (which corresponds to a contribution rate of 1.68/1,020, or 0.165%, close to the 0.150% midpoint of the bracket).
- Household of two people, both of whom work, with a total income of EUR 5,600 per month:
- Net income per person per month: 5,600 / 2 = EUR 2,800 per person per month.
- This corresponds to bracket 4d, where the contribution is EUR 12.58 per person per month.
- As the household comprises 2 persons, this corresponds to a contribution of: 12.58 x 2 = €25.16/month (which corresponds to a contribution rate of 25.16/5,600, or 0.449%, close to the 0.438% midpoint of the bracket);
- Household of five people, two of whom work, with a total net income of €15,300 per month:
- Net income per person per month: 15,300 / 5 = €3,060 per person per month
- This corresponds to bracket 4, where the contribution is €14.06 per person per month
- As the household comprises 5 people, this corresponds to a contribution of: 14.06 x 5 = € 70.30 per month (which corresponds to a contribution rate of 70.30 / 15,300, or 0.459%, close to the 0.450% midpoint of the bracket);
- As the household includes two Co-operators, Co-operator A pays the contribution corresponding to 3 persons, i.e. 14.06 x 3 = EUR 42.18 per month, and Co-operator B pays the remaining contribution, i.e. that corresponding to 2 persons, namely 14.06 x 2 = EUR 28.12 per month.
Separate contributions
- A student who is financially dependent on their parents and receives a net income of €780 per month from them, and who does not wish to involve the rest of their family in the Cooperative:
- Net income per person per month: €780 per person per month
- This corresponds to bracket 2c, where the contribution is: €2.03/month (which corresponds to a contribution rate of 2.03/780, or 0.260%, close to the 0.250% midpoint of the bracket);
- 1 person living in a civil partnership, working for a total of EUR 3,900 net/month, in a household with 3 children:
- Given the income of the other person in the couple, this person considers that they are financially responsible for only one of the three children. Two people are therefore dependent on this income. Net income per person per month: €3,900 / 2 = €1,950 per person per month
- This corresponds to bracket 3d, where the contribution is: €7.03 per month per person
- As two persons depend on this income, this corresponds to a contribution of: € 7.03 x 2 = €14.06/month (which corresponds to a contribution rate of 14.06/3,900, or 0.361%, close to the 0.375% in the middle of the bracket).
Why such a complex system?
Most organisations that operate on the basis of contributions from their members have a very simple system of fixed contributions or voluntary contributions. The Cooperative has opted for this progressive scale, with narrow income brackets, which is more complex. Why?
When the contribution is fixed, it is difficult to determine the level, as we are faced with the following dilemma:
- if the contribution is too high, it excludes people on low incomes;
- if the contribution is too low, it leads people on high incomes to contribute less than they could, and makes it more difficult for the organisation to achieve economic balance.
This problem is accentuated at the European Union level, where there are significant income differences between Member States, in addition to internal income inequalities within each Member State.
When contributions are voluntary, it is difficult to know what is expected in order to both meet the needs of the organisation and adapt fairly to each individual's circumstances. Often, an ‘average’ figure is given, but this is not informative if the incomes of existing members are not known. The Cooperative gives you a clear framework of what it considers to be a fair contribution on your part.
When the brackets are large, people just below the bracket contribute a much higher fraction of their income than people in the middle or at the top of the bracket, which is unfair. With smaller brackets, the problem still exists, but it is greatly reduced.
That is why we have opted for a contribution scale that is finely and fairly adapted to each individual's resources, at the cost of a little complexity.
What is your monthly contribution used for?
The CosmoPolitical Cooperative's economic model is very frugal. We have no employees, and our head office is hosted by a domiciliation company. Our highest costs are related to our legal obligations: accounting and statutory auditors. We therefore have very low fixed costs, in the region of €960 per month, broken down as shown in the table below.
| Expense category | Amount (EUR incl. VAT/month) | % |
|---|---|---|
| Head office, bank, accountant, mandatory auditor | 621 | 65 |
| IT hosting | 99 | 10 |
| IT maintenance | 237 | 25 |
| Total | 957 | 100 |
Cooperators' contributions are used first and foremost to pay these fixed costs. Once these fixed costs have been covered, any surplus is available for our projects, which are decided democratically.
Don't forget! As a Cooperator, you must also purchase at least one share of the Cooperative. Please proceed to that page if you haven't paid it yet.