Current affairs - Land Value Tax Campaign

Gold hits record against euro

Written on 18 February 2009. Posted in Economics.

By Henry Law We have been warning about the possibility of 1970s style inflation since last July and noted in October that the first pieces were being put in place for a Zimbabwean style hyperinflation. Subsequent actions have all been movements in the same direction. Fears about this are now being reflected in the rising demand for gold, the price of which has surged to an all-time high against...

“Recession worse than first feared” – BoE deputy

Written on 17 February 2009. Posted in Banking.

The UK has an odds-on chance of suffering an even deeper recession than first feared, the Bank of England’s deputy Governor, Charles Bean, has warned.

Landlords still rule OK

Written on 14 February 2009. Posted in Economics.

Landlords are, seemingly, determined to pass the pain of the recession on to others. They have all the muscle needed. Hammerson, the property group, was accused last night of pushing Stylo, the owner of the Barratts shoe shop chain, into administration, putting 5,450 jobs at risk. Hammerson, whose assets include the Bullring centre in Birmingham, is understood to have led a rebellion by Stylo’s...

Labour employment plan close to collapse

Written on 8 February 2009. Posted in Welfare.

The government’s flagship policy to revolutionise welfare by paying private companies to find jobs for the unemployed was in crisis last night as firms said there were too many people out of work – and too few vacancies – to make it viable. News that Labour’s radical plan is in turmoil and facing possible legal challenges comes as unemployment is about to pass the two million...

We must crack down on the tax avoiders

Written on 5 February 2009. Posted in Taxation.

This week there has been much wringing of hands about tax avoidance. The Guardian has even run a series, “The Tax Gap” on the subject. We must have a crack-down.

A lesson for Iceland

Written on 30 January 2009. Posted in Politics.

The Icelanders are thinking of joining the EU as a way of getting out of their troubles. They should take care. They must watch their fish. Unless the fish have gone already, they should keep out of the EU. Even if the fish stocks have gone, EU membership will do them little good in the end. There is the cautionary tale of Ireland to take note of. The EU pumped money in. That caused a property boom....

Setting itself up for failure – the VOX Global Crisis Debate

Written on 30 January 2009. Posted in Economics.

VoxEU.org, a policy portal set up by the Centre for Economic Policy Research, in conjunction with a consortium of national sites, today launches the Global Crisis Debate. The aim is “to broaden the discussion into a truly global debate, and to make the Global Crisis Debate the dominant intellectual forum on the crisis.” “The ambition is to broaden the discussion into a truly global...

Brown’s tax giveaway will cost jobs and retard growth

Written on 30 January 2009. Posted in Taxation.

Higher national insurance payments and other taxes will cost the economy 175,000 jobs over the next four years, according to Oxford Economics, an independent consultancy. Mr Brown has set out plans to increase taxes after the next election to fund a temporary “fiscal stimulus” package including a time-limited cut in VAT and bringing forward some spending plans. The package will add...

Boris Johnson friend of business?

Written on 27 January 2009. Posted in Taxation.

We read in a report from the British Property Federation that Mayor of London Boris Johnson has today assured the property industry that he is “a friend to business” by putting his weight behind the fight against empty rates and offering support for new methods of funding.

Heathrow to get third runway

Written on 15 January 2009. Posted in Economics.

The Campaign has – can have – no view on the rights or wrongs of the decision to build a third runway at Heathrow. But we have an interest nevertheless, as it is bound to affect land values in the immediate vicinity and indeed throughout south-east England. This will come about as a result of:-

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