Why LVT is a red herring

[burns_curtis]

--- In diggers350 at y..., Tony Gosling <tony at g...> wrote:
> Land Value Tax is a Red Herring - A castle in the sand
> ------------------------------------------------------
> 
> At the actions we've (The Land Is Ours) 
> had in the past whenever a LVT
> speaker bothers to appear they bore 
> the pants off all & sundry who quickly
> find better things to do -such 
> as wandering round enjoying 

I'm not a committed Georgist buy any means as I am still grappling 
with the theories.  I'm for any system, even if it is not perfect, 
that will stop the nonsense we currently have of 1% of the population 
owning 70% of the land, compounded by a tyrannical planning system, 
that herds near 60 million of us into only 7.5% of the land mass, 
living very small house with hugely inflated prices - 2/3 of a house 
value in the UK is the land value.  Re-distributing the land is fine 
and I am all for it, however if we are still all crammed into that 
7.5% of the land mass by the planning laws, then is it a damp squib 
if it comes about.

You have to be realistic.  

1.  Are we likely to get a relaxed planning system with all these so-
called green groups attempting to keep people living in congested 
urban hell holes?  The government is instructing even high house 
densities.

2.  Are we likely to get the land re-distributed so that we are not 
under the tyranny of the 1%?  Could be, as a watered down move to re-
distribute in Scotland is starting.

LVT was nearly implemented in the UK just before WW1 – the war 
scuppered it.  The offices and administration was set up for it.  It 
still has a strong following in government circles around the world.

Which is more likely to be accepted? 

1.  The LVT.
2.  Land re-distribution/rolling back the planning laws?

It has to be something the people can understand and accept.  
Attempting to push onto them something they are mentally not prepared 
for will get no one no nowhere very quickly.

BTW just a point, if you have a home on the side of a hill in the 
middle of nowhere, and grow your own food, you still have to pay 
council tax.  With LVT it will be the only tax.  No income tax or 
council tax.

Tony I will email you.