Land Value Tax (LVT) is opposed to land rights

Mon Aug 16 18:51:02 BST 2010

Dear Mark,

This discussion on LVT has gone quite far enough 
... and as usual seems to be going nowhere. And 
it will never go anywhere because LVT is 
fundamentally opposed to land rights. It is a 
further removal of the right to enjoy land 
without being disturbed by the tax man. Like 
council tax with dwellers only having the 'right 
to stay' under threat of being summonsed, having 
the bailiffs round or being kicked out.

This is why travellers are so hated by the 
taxators and perverse creators of 'new markets in 
tax' because travellers are so difficult to 
threaten with eviction if they do not pay - they 
are in fact geared up for evicton and cannot be 
so easily intimidated by the state threatening to move them on.

Providing an exemption is a nice 'work around' 
for as long as it lasts but it is far better to 
levy taxes, where we have to, on luxury goods and 
services as I said before. It is far better to 
have a principled tax system which falls only on those who can afford to pay.

In principle I think its fair to say that Diggers 
do not want to see anybody paying rent, wheras 
you seem to paint rent as a good thing... helping 
one get off paying ones land tax but that is a 
deliberate mis-speak - the landlord will of 
course pass this tax on to the tenant. Also 
occupiers of land shoud be free to decide what 
they want to do on it without pressure on them to 
do whatever makes the most money.

Diggers campaign for a society where we all have 
access to the land we need to live ..... without 
paying rent to anyone. As Gerrard Winstanley was wont to say.

The land value taxation lobby are not a grass 
roots bunch by any stretch of their imagination 
either .. they survive on grants from 'philanthropists', foundations etc.

Bringing in new taxes on the most fundamental of 
human needs is something of a totaltarian 
position which no vaguely democratic system could 
possibly get away with. It is designed to tie as 
many people as possible into the money economy so 
as to 'earn' money to pay their taxes and boost 
economic 'growth, yes, back to the bad old days of economic slavery.

As I'm sure you know LVT in Hong Kong has led to 
the most densely populated blocks of flats on the 
planet as landlords squeeze as many people as possible into rabbit hutches.

Land Value Taxation is not the way forward by any 
stretch of the imagination so please waffle on 
about it elsewhere to your hearts content but we have standards here.

thanks,

Tony

--- In Diggers350 at yahoogroups.com, Mark Barrett <marknbarrett at ...> wrote:
 >
 > hi tony
 >
lvt does not, as
 > you indicate necessarily punish the poor as it is owners, not renters who
 > become liable and there is no reason why a hefty exemption band can be
 > included, as lvt gets phased in, say exemption for owner occupires
 > of properties worth 250,000 or less

 > cheers
 >
 > mark
 >
 > On 14 August 2010 13:54, Tony Gosling <tony at ...> wrote:
 >
 > > Actually Mark, the Guardian leader writer has it right on this one.
 > >
 > > IMO the latest house price bubble has been created by a combination of two
 > > main factors
 > >
 > > Instability and uncertainty on the stock exchange which has come from war,
 > > war spending and short selling by the city. This means small investors
 > > taking their savings out of the stock exchange and putting them into
 > > buy-to-let property, much more property than they can themselves use.
 > >
 > > Economic migration, which has increased demand for housing, particularly
 > > over the last 15 years
 > >
 > > Record immigration sees UK population soar
 > >
 > > 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1567068/Record-immigration-sees-UK-population-soar.html
 > >
 > > Land Value Taxation, or LVT, solves none of this. In fact, like the poll
 > > tax, it undermines one of the most fundamental of our human needs.
 > >
 > > Any ethical taxation policy must recognise 
that tax should be levied on non
 > > essentials, the more luxurious goods and 
services, so as to protect the poor
 > > and the needy from the burden of taxation.
 > >
 > > Sir Winston Churchill was one of the most powerful advocates of LVT in his
 > > generation but then again he was not a 
peace-time prime minister, nor a 'man
 > > of the people'.
 > >
 > > Tony
 > >
 > > At 11:59 14/08/2010, Mark Barrett wrote:
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > > *High house prices not caused by shortage*
 > >
 > > There is no evidence that high house 
prices<http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/houseprices>are 
caused by a shortage of homes 
(Editorial<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/06/planning-policy-editorial>,
 > > 6 August). With over a million properties 
suitable for 
housing<http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/housing>lying 
empty in England alone, it makes no sense to talk of a shortage. There
 > > are two factors causing inflated house 
prices: the failure to 
tax<http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/tax>land 
values; and the ability of banks to create unlimited credit, leading to
 > > leveraged speculation in land. In 1970, the average house price (more
 > > accurately, it is the land on which it 
stands which increases in value) was
 > > £4,400. Now it's about £180,000  an average 
rise of 9% a year. Speculation
 > > depends upon a constant supply of ever more indebted buyers  a pyramid
 > > scheme, whose final collapse is inevitable.
 > >
 > > A land tax would tax unearned gains from rising values and so discourage
 > > speculation and encourage idle resources to be used, cutting the blight of
 > > boarded-up properties. It would provide the 
government with the bulk of its
 > > revenue, enabling taxes on income and property taxes, such as council tax,
 > > to be phased out. A land value tax is 
advocated by the Green party<http://www.greenparty.org.uk/>,
 > > the Co-operative party <http://www.party.coop/> and even some members of
 > > the cabinet.
 > >
 > > Ken MacIntyre
 > >
 > > Leatherhead, Surrey
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > >
 > > +44 (0)7786 952037
 > > http://tonygosling.blip.tv/
 > > http://www.thisweek.org.uk/
 > > http://www.911forum.org.uk/
 > > "Capitalism is institutionalised bribery."
 > > _________________
 > > www.abolishwar.org.uk
 > > www.elementary.org.uk
 > > www.public-interest.co.uk
 > > www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Bristol+Broadband+Co-operative
 > > http://utangente.free.fr/2003/media2003.pdf
 > > "The maintenance of secrets acts like a psychic poison which alienates the
 > > possessor from the community" Carl Jung
 > > https://217.72.179.7/members/www.bilderberg.org/phpBB2/
 > >
 > >
 >
 >
 > --
 > "We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet /Yet is there no
 > man speaketh as we speak in the street.
 >
+44 (0)7786 952037
http://tonygosling.blip.tv/
http://www.thisweek.org.uk/
http://www.911forum.org.uk/
"Capitalism is institutionalised bribery."
_________________
www.abolishwar.org.uk
<http://www.elementary.org.uk>www.elementary.org.uk
www.public-interest.co.uk
www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Bristol+Broadband+Co-operative
<http://utangente.free.fr/2003/media2003.pdf>http://utangente.free.fr/2003/media2003.pdf 

"The maintenance of secrets acts like a psychic 
poison which alienates the possessor from the community" Carl Jung
<https://217.72.179.7/members/www.bilderberg.org/phpBB2/>https://217.72.179.7/members/www.bilderberg.org/phpBB2/