This video by BritMonkey gives an introduction to Georgism and the importance of land value taxation.

Saw the old version down in the sub, thought I'd add the new one.

[video] Intellectual Property is Broken - Dean Baker

https://youtu.be/cJJZUgt8kVM

@georgism

The Georgists advocated shifting the tax burden from buildings to land. Today that would face major political hurdles, but there might be variations on the concept that could spur housing development and discourage land speculators.

This op-ed details how housing has gotten faaaar more expensive over the past several decades but without corresponding wage growth, leaving it increasingly unaffordable. The author (correctly) argues that this is due to the rising land values, which does not represent true wealth creation and is rather simply a vehicle for wealth redistribution from the younger and working class to the older and landed.

Non-paywall link: https://archive.is/umP8D

This article explains the recent re-emergence of Georgism, its origins, and the rising popularity of the land value tax as a solution to the housing crisis.

[academic] Property is Monopoly: creating a competitive market in uses through partial common ownership (Georgism-inspired policy)

https://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s11222.pdf

"The problem ... identified we label the monopoly problem .... ...Henry George... proposed what was perhaps the most prominent idea among economists for solving the monopoly problem. He argued that the “simpler, ... and quieter way” to achieve common ownership ... would be to “appropriate land rent for public use, by taxation."

@justtaxland

I was watching this talk while rebuilding a big docker container at work, and it gave a surprise shout-out to Henry George's Progress and Poverty, in the context of how Google and other tech "platforms" have turned themselves into digital landlords.

Image transcript:

An old sepia photograph of a billboard on a piece of vacant land. The sign reads:

"EVERYBODY WORKS BUT THE VACANT LOT"

I paid $3600 for this lot and will hold 'till I get $6000. The profit is unearned increment made possible by the presence of this community and enterprise of its people. I take the profit without earning it. For the remedy read "HENRY GEORGE".

Yours Truly, Fay Lewis

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/Neoliberal/t/524431

If you tax blight, will you get less of it?

TL;DW: This video goes into how a broken property tax assessment system has resulted in systemic over-assessment and over-taxing of properties in poor neighborhoods and under-assessment and under-taxing of properties in wealthy neighborhoods.