Teach Soap

Okay, so I wasn't sure what board to post this under. I figured this one might be the best bet.

I'm not really sure how often this happens. My boyfriend, blessed helpful little soul that he is, found this article and suggested that I post it to the forums and see what you guys thought about it.

It's basically about Congress wanting to tax soap artisans so much that they can't afford to be in business. I read the article, and I feel that the author is a bit misinformed on actual use of some of the chemicals. I know BB lets us know and choose whether or not to buy products that contain parabens or phthalates, but I do appreciate the overall slant.

Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.nutritionalanarchy.com/2015/ ... ur-safety/

I may be posting about nothing, but it never hurts to see, I suppose. Recently they made yard sales illegal in Louisiana, so really you never know what's going to come next.

I poked around for a summary (not in the mood to slog through 100 pages of the bill). Found one here:

http://cosmeticsandthelaw.com/2015/04/2 ... f-enacted/

Important detail listed on a table summarizing key points:

"Among other things, excludes domestic manufacturers with less than $100,000 in gross annual sales of cosmetic products."

I have been pretty absent from this board, but IIRC, not a lot of soapers here bragging about pulling in $100k a year! Does ANY home based cosmetics company make over $100k?

Well, what bothered me more with this article is the writer's lack of knowledge when it comes to certain chemicals. Also, taxing us is pointless. Most, if not all of us sell our products to a fairly small group of people, so I don't really see any reason why they need to pass this. Competition? I don't think so.

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'To whoever says that cleanliness is next to godliness, did a group of angels came down from the sky upon finishing taking a bath?'

I also noticed the lack of knowledge about the chemicals. Later, I realized this is something a bit old, and probably should have done a little bit more research before posting. I think A-M has done some work against this sort of thing in general, which is good, as it may not affect small-timers now, but who knows how far they will go. I'm also pretty uneducated at how they target other small business artisans (stained glass artists, for example) but every bit of awareness is worth learning about, I suppose.

I am mostly thankful I have a partner that watches out not only for me, but for the community I have joined.

Anne-Marie has been watching this, there have been a few posts on the FB page about it. Here is what Anne-Marie has been saying regarding this bill;

"We are definitely tracking this issue. The bill is not out of committee and has a long ways to go before it might become law. Currently it has a $100,000 exemption level (for fees and paperwork) and I think it's important that higher small business exemptions be put into place. I've started a coalition to follow and act on this legislation. Under the Action section is a congressional letter template. I would love it if you could take the time to contact your legislator to let them know about your business and how this bill may affect you. That website is www.coalitionofhandmadeentrepreneurs.com Also, Indie Business Network and I and the Bramble Berry/COHE lobbyists had a briefing call that will be available to listen to later on the nuances in the bill. The IBN website (blog) will have that information as soon as it's available."

You can also sign up for the Coalition of Handcrafted Entrepreneurs for updates.

http://www.coalitionofhandcraftedentrepreneurs.com

Go read Marie Gale's blog. http://blog.mariegale.com/personal-care ... #more-1804

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

i read this article and it made me think of soaping. First they will take away the freedom of speech for (3-d printing) gun manufacturing, but there is nothing more they would like than to make these kind of discussions about manufacturing stuff illegal, so that Johnson & Johnson will be the only ones making money. You guys know we are cutting into corporate profits, & we are doing it by creating a vastly superior product that makes people wonder why in a free-market capitalist society one can't buy real soap at the grocery store.

You guys read this and tell me it doesn't remind you of something they would like to do to us, as well:

The Government Wants You to Get Its Permission Before Discussing Gunmaking Information on the Internet (or Anywhere)---------- http://reason.com/blog/2015/06/09/the-g ... t-its-perm

This only proves that people who are into soap business are in the right track! Nevertheless, it is a pretty silly article.

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~Pamper yourself.