It is probably a little bit one sided that I should spend so much time looking at the Association of Professional Landscapers and up until now not really looked to closely at the offerings and benefitsof the British Association of Landscape Industries.
In time I hope to look into every aspect of BALI and what being a member does for a business and to start with the cost of joining up looks unfair and I believe needs some attention.
At first glance the table of fees is flawed - why should a one man band who turns over £25,000 have to pay a whopping 2.23% in his first year whereas a business turning over £99,000 pays just 0.47% (bear in mind the figures are inclusive of VAT so the £25k business cannot reclaim this)?
At the higher end of the table, a business with a turnover of over £10 million will pay just £1,786.00 or 0.017% - is this right?
Surely the aim is to bring young and hungry businesses in at an early stage yet the penalty for wanting to join, what is supposed to be the leading landscaping organisation, is a prohibitive entrance fee.
The qualifying work standard alone should be enough of a barrier to membership and the current scale of membership fees needs revamping if you ask me.
A standard joining fee is understandable because every membership needs administration. However, after this, a simple one percent of turnover should be applied to determine membership costs. This way there is no steep rise between bands and everyone knows where they stand.
What are your views on BALI membership - are they fair or is it time for a re think?
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