Yearly contribution of Cooperators

Once you have used the calculator above:

1. select the bracket corresponding to your net disposable monthly income, as calculated above;
2. enter the number of people in your household as the “quantity”;
3. click on ‘add to basket’;
4. go to your basket and continue with your purchase. During the transaction, you can, if you wish, spread your payment 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.

Once you have used the calculator above:

1. select the bracket corresponding to your net disposable monthly income, as calculated above;
2. enter the number of people dependent on your income as the “quantity”;
3. click on ‘add to basket’;
4. go to your basket and continue with your purchase. During the transaction, you can, if you wish, spread your payment 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.