tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958311231520405027.post4201654729432129631..comments2023-12-02T08:48:05.495+00:00Comments on Dave Watson: Building a new consensus on paying for local governmentDave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958311231520405027.post-48599596797411506102014-02-24T18:59:37.285+00:002014-02-24T18:59:37.285+00:00"Land Value Tax (LVT) has its supporters on t..."Land Value Tax (LVT) has its supporters on the left"<br /><br />Not just on the left, LVT is the best kind of tax from the point of view of proper free market liberals. <br /><br />"Landowners are not as easy to find and bill as occupiers, particularly individuals and/or offshore companies hiding in tax havens."<br /><br />Patently not true - the current govt introduced a Mansion Tax specifically payable only on high value homes registered in the name of offshore companies and revenues in the first year were five times as much as expected.<br /><br />"So even if the practical difficulties over LVT could be overcome, it is not really a tax suitable for local government."<br /><br />That depends on how you define local expenditure. if you ask me, most expenditure is "local", like police, hospitals, welfare, schools etc. And most of this is funded by central government out of national taxes.<br /><br />Clearly, LVT would have to be a national tax for it to make sense, and each council then gets a per capita share of it, so voters will still be voting for which party they think spends the money best or most efficiently, there just won't be this silly bidding war about one party promising to cut property tax more than the other party.<br /><br />"Wealthy landowners become the major contributors to local finance under LVT, yet have no interest in supporting local services"<br /><br />You might as well say "High earners are the major contributors to national finance under income tax but have no interest in supporting local services."<br /><br />Well maybe they do, maybe they don't, but the system still works, doesn't it?<br /><br />Ben Jamin' has rebutted most of your other arguments so I shall leave it at that.<br /><br />Please get in touch if you need to know more.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958311231520405027.post-72301739629053811772014-02-22T18:44:28.203+00:002014-02-22T18:44:28.203+00:00It is just as easy to assess LVT as Council Tax. S...It is just as easy to assess LVT as Council Tax. See here<br /><br />http://kaalvtn.blogspot.co.uk/p/valuations-and-potential-lvt-receipts.html<br /><br />Initial valuation £10 per household, 10p per year thereafter.<br /><br />Avoidance is impossible. Land Registry has titles for all domestic and commercial property. <br /><br />Landowners will not be able to pass to cost onto their tenants, and rents are already set by affordability, not cost. Basic 101 economics. See here<br /><br />http://kaalvtn.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/g-lvt-would-benefit-rich-and-hurt-poor.html<br /><br />All landowners have an interest in local government. Planning at a local level is key to land values.<br /><br />Thereare very few losers under LVT. Anyone whose gross household income is currently<br />10% or more of their home's value would be better off.<br /><br />An average household would be £10,000 per year better off net.<br /><br />benjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544297406005346095noreply@blogger.com