We can have one without the other
How can a tax help rather than hinder an economic recovery? Believe it or not, a tax on land value would best stimulate economic recovery. A land value tax, like today’s property taxes, is based on the value of land when put to its best… Read More »The Tax We Need for the Pandemic Economic Recovery
A Paradigm for Understanding Budgeting; What Role is there for Land Reformers? It’s in the air: something called “Modern Monetary Theory” (MMT). MMT purports to have answers on how to pay for public goods without burdensome taxes, how to shift more earning power to workers,… Read More »Book Review: “The Deficit Myth”
As we collectively stare down the holidays, the reality that our celebrations won’t look or feel the same as in other years is inescapable. The range of differences varies, of course. For my family, it’s planning our winter holidays without extended family for the first… Read More »It’s time to get creative
As a rule, people have a general aversion to discussions of tax policy. Except for the most elementary understanding – progressive, neutral, regressive, or exempt or non-exempt – public discourse on taxation is mostly banal or non-existent. It’s really no wonder, because political leaders have… Read More »The Common Aversion to Tax Study
In response to an article written by Harrison Astbury on November 18, 2020 Why a property tax is not the answer, I believe that Astbury is half right. Real estate consists of two types of property, land and improvements. A property tax on buildings and… Read More »Why a property tax on land value is indeed the answer – Op-Ed
The rush to declare the ‘death of cities’ in the wake of COVID-19 was almost certainly premature, given that rural areas are now struggling to contain the virus to nearly the same extent as urban areas did in the spring. However, the virus has dealt… Read More »Land Value Capture Can Help Mass Transit Systems Rebuild Post Pandemic
I broadly agree with Frank de Jong regarding UBIs (UBI self-defeating unless funded by rental value capture): to do universal basic income without a land value tax is foolish, and fundamentally unsustainable. However, I disagree with the characterization of “self-defeating”, for reasons of both a… Read More »Even an Imperfect UBI Not Necessarily “Self-Defeating”
A universal basic income (UBI) is an idea whose time has definitely come, especially considering the devastating COVID-19 related business and job disruptions. As well as covering basic costs for the duration of the pandemic, a UBI can and will help businesses retool, restructure and… Read More »UBI self-defeating unless funded by rental value capture – Point A
In the last weeks, our attention has (rightly) been focused at the national level, and in a time when the word “unprecedented” has been used so often it barely registers, it was hardly surprising that the 2020 Presidential election was one for the record books. … Read More »The Presidential Election is Over. It’s Time to Think Local.
Property taxes are ubiquitous around the world, and in the United States, they’re a tax most people love to hate. Unlike sales and income taxes, which are baked into every purchase and paycheck, property taxes are added onto mortgage bills or mailed in as lump… Read More »A Surprising Vaccine for Cities Hit Hard By COVID: Property Taxes
