You are missing the point. I don't think we need government intervention in every aspect of our life, to hold our hand.
If they want to sell it by the cord, that is a defined measure. It would be fraud to charge for a cord that wasn't a cord. But if the customer is willing to buy an irregular size that is sold as in irregular size, and everyone agrees on prices, I don't think we need government regulation. There is also potential for this to be cheaper, since there is less labor involved.
Also what does this have to do with the sellers income tax? Accounting works off assests and liabilities. His tax will be based on his profits and expenses. If cords appear any where on his taxes, it is more government involvement that we don't need.
Should we regulate the size of an apple or watermelon? If you don't the quanity or quality, you don't buy from the person again, same with most things in life.
You make it sound like the govt is intervening with guys selling firewood.
They dont. Im just saying that the law is on the books, and if people simply followed them, there wouldnt be any intervening of the govt. The law wouldnt even need to be on the books if people would sell based off a known qty.
I am not advocating for bigger govt. Quite the contrary.
But do like to know that when the pump registers a gallon of gas, that there is acutally a gallon going in my car.
Or when I buy a gallon of milk, that there is actually a gallon in there, and not 110oz but still being called a gallon.
I like to know that when they weigh my produce at the store, that their scales are accurate and not registering a pound for every 12 ounces
I want to know that if I buy a 12' roll of carpet, I am not going to get home and find it 3" too short on each side of the 12' room
I want to know that when I order 11yds of concrete, that I am getting 11 yds and not 9
I want to know that when I order 22 ton of stone, that I am getting 22t and not 19 ton.
I want to know that when I have a propane tank filled, that I am actually getting the gallons that I am billed for.
Same for natural gas meters, electric meters, water meters, etc etc etc
All of these examples and in one way or another handled by a govt. agency. Or dept of weights and measurements or something like that.
Same agency has oversight over selling firewood. Its to ensure you are getting what you pay for. A standardized way to quantify the amount of wood you receive, and for what price.
How do taxes come into play.....it determines weather you are a legitimate business operation, or just "bobby joe with pickup and a saw flying under the radar."
If you are a legitimate business, have employees, pay BWC, comply with OSHA, etc......why risk your business and fines selling wood in an un-measurable way?
If you are "bobby joe" example, you arent a business, so why would you care about doing things legally?
IMO, there are 3 types of people that sell wood by methods other than "cords"
1. Too stupid to know what a cord is
2. Too lazy to figure out how many cord your "thrown on load" is equal to. (you would only have to do that ONCE to know how much you haul, all future loads wouldnt need stacked and measured, as long as you load the same way)
3. Intentionally trying to fool people. A heaped load tossed on is less wood than a stacked level full load. But dont look like it to the average person.
In any case, none of those three are ones I want to do business with. If someone cannot tell me how many cord or fraction of, that they are delivering, that way I can compare prices and verify I received what was said, then I wont do business with them.
