LVT's OK if it's Taxing ONLY the rich

[Mark Brown]

Is not the ownership of land above a certain landholding size not 
ostentatious (and so deserving to be taxed)? Would not a “betterment tax” - 
tax on development over a certain development value - (which the Labour Govt 
of 1967 brought in only for it to be withdrawn by the Tories in ‘71)  be a 
more equitable means of redistributing inordinately large amounts of wealth? 
Wouldn’t both such measures combined be a much more effective, humane and 
fairer way of raising money than the current council tax?

Of course, also, we wouldn’t need as much tax if rich landowners didn’t get 
so much subsidy from the public purse.

I have expressed my worries about why a uniform LVT is a bad idea already.

Mark

From: "diggers350" <tony at g...>
Date: Fri Feb 20, 2004 10:45 am
Subject: Land Tax favoured by the FT


I have always been dead against this whole artificial 'Henry George' land 
tax movement. Their agenda becomes clearer now they have been joined by 
elitist writer Martin Wolf. If anyone can get hold of the full article I'd 
appreciate it.

Land is something we all need - and a land tax is like taxing water, books 
or food. Any just or moral taxation policy - assuming the government can be 
trusted to spend tax revenue wisely which they can't - is to tax ostentation 
and the trappings of opulence; luxuries such as global financial services 
(the tobin tax), aviation fuel and fast or gas guzzling cars. As a basic 
moral principle anything which is a basic human need must be free from tax. 
We'll be taxing rough sleeping next.
Tony Gosling 0117 944 6219


Martin Wolf: Why on earth not put a tax on land?
Financial Times - Feb 19 2004

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=Sto\
ryFT&cid=1075982675559&p=1012571727102

Taxing land, rather than development, is moral because owners contribute 
nothing to land's value; and efficient, because taxing land distorts 
nobody's choices.



National tax on land values finds favour
20 February 2004 08:50

http://www.egi.co.uk/news_detail.asp?news_id=176098

A land value tax is an idea whose time has come, says Martin Wolf, in the
Financial Times.

He says uniform site, or land value taxation, is a "no-brainer" but what 
makes it particularly attractive today is its superiority to other taxes now 
imposed on property.

He says what is needed is a national tax on the value of land holdings 
instead of the council tax and the uniform business rate. He says it is both 
fair and efficient and should be adopted.

Financial Times 20/02/04 page 17

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