Comment - Land Value Tax Campaign

Where has prudence gone?

Written on 13 December 2009. Posted in Economics.

Where has PRUDENCE gone? What happened to the GOLDEN RULE? Wasn’t it a shame to sell half the nation’s GOLD RESERVES at the bottom of the market at an average price of $285 a troy ounce whereas now it is standing comfortably at well over $1,000? Above all, what happened to the boast to have ended the cycle of BOOM AND BUST? Article from the latest issue of Practical Politics continu...

Are financial services really useless?

Written on 10 December 2009. Posted in Banking.

This comment on the Guardian’s Comment is Free this morning set me thinking. Financial services are the lifeblood of any economy (and a million miles from being “socially useless” – sorry, that’s just ignorance) and for the UK to specialise in this area is just about the greatest stroke of genius going. Finance is labour intensive and offers high wages for all (even...

A plethora of populist micro measures

Written on 10 December 2009. Posted in Taxation.

“A plethora of populist micro measures” – a phrase used by FT journalist Philip Stephens in an article headed “Populism without purpose” – concisely sums up the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget statement. There is no coherent strategy for bringing down the government’s colossal deficit. But the British government has no coherent strategy for anything at all....

The 1909 People’s Budget – can you help?

Written on 6 December 2009. Posted in General.

We would like to place the text of this on our site, or at least a link to it, together with a critique. If you can help, please contact us – many thanks.

Economist backs property taxes to prevent boom and bust

Written on 2 December 2009. Posted in Taxation.

Adam Posen, the newest member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, has said that the Government should consider imposing extra taxes on properties, suggesting that in future homeowners should have to pay an extra charge if prices rise too fast. He suggested that this may mean imposing capital gains taxes on first homes and raising stamp duty.

LVT for the doorstep canvasser

Written on 2 December 2009. Posted in Politics.

The LibDems continue to thrash around with their idea for a “Mansions Tax”. The original proposal was for it to start at a threshold of £1 million but that raised an uproar as it would have caught quite a lot of owners of ordinary houses in and around London, so the latest idea is for a threshold of £2 million, which will simply not raise enough money to be worth the trouble. The best...

Non-domicile tax dodge row erupts again

Written on 1 December 2009. Posted in Taxation.

The row over tax avoidance by “non-domiciles” has erupted again, this time over the man who must be the richest would-be Tory MP, Zac Goldsmith. As always, the subject opens up a rich vein of twaddlespeak. The Guardian editorial writes, “This is not, as the Conservatives say, a minor and private matter. It exposes an obvious hypocrisy: that while the party preaches austerity, in...

Who actually picks up the tax bill?

Written on 25 November 2009. Posted in History.

This discussion paper by Henry Law written in August 1992 is here published with the aim of promoting discussion about the incidence and burden of taxes. Taxes on the rental value of land have been levied by governments since time immemorial.

Compass loses direction

Written on 24 November 2009. Posted in Taxation.

“Compass” is a think tank that claims to be providing direction for the democratic left. A few months ago it published a report by Toby Lloyd, which was unequivocal in its support of land value taxation. Compass has swung. Its latest offering, “In Place of Cuts: Tax reform to build a fairer society”, puts forward what it describes as “a comprehensive analysis of the...

Goverment to throw money at youth unemployment problem

Written on 19 November 2009. Posted in Welfare.

Four surprise unemployment guarantees were unveiled in the Queen’s Speech. An extra 10,000 places for unemployed 16-17 year olds, guaranteeing a place in education from January. A commitment that 18-24 year olds will be offered a guaranteed job or training and will not have to wait until they have been out of work for a year. A promise to help 18-24-year-olds find work from day one of their...

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