Many Economists Advocate LVT
Forbes, Apr 23, columnist Tim Worstall notes economists, as did Henry George, show that capital and corporate taxation rates should be zero, doing the least damage to future growth.
Starting a new Housing Bubble?
The (London) Observer, Apr 27: If homeowners pay a percentage of the value of their land each year, it could help to prevent the next bubble inflating.
I’m a Gentrification Bomb and Proud
Oakland Local, Apr 29: Rising land values measure the progress of a community. Taxing them keeps them circulating to the benefit of the community.
To Trigger Building More Homes
Inside Housing, May 8: The Centre for Labour and Social Studies says taxing land could replace business rates and stamp duty and deliver a ‘house-building revolution’.
A Classic, Now More Than Ever
Slate, May 10, by Matthew Yglesias: The rapid fall in transportation and communications prices has made location matter more than ever.
Tax Vacant Property & Save
Project Syndicate, May 13, by Dean Baker: Much of the last cycle was an unprecedented run-up in house prices. Governments can help via a vacant lot tax.
Welcome!
Welcome to the Web site of Common Ground OR-WA, the Oregon-Washington chapter of
Common Ground USA, commonground-usa.net.
We promote legislation that democratizes use of natural resources in these two states --
that treats the natural resources of a jurisdiction as a commonwealth for all of the legal residents.
We promote the taxation of private use of nature (taxing a negative effect on society).
This tax has to be high enough to encourage price stability and discourage speculation and sprawl, but not so high that an "ownership" contract (e.g. deed, corporate charter) is easily abandoned.
Take a look at our Legislative Action tabs for more information about our current focus!
Updates
Village Building Convergence
"Create Geo-Common Wealth" When we repair the city, we make it more spendy to live in, by pushing up land values. Higher land costs can be good news for residents. As other places do, just recover and share these ground rents. Activism and poverty should not have to be synonymous. With Jeffs Strang and Smith in Portland OR, May 31, Friday, 3-5 PM, Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta St.
Connecticut to Allow LVT
The Municipal Opportunities & Regional Efficiencies (M.O.R.E) Commission, a bipartisan bicameral commission working to solve structural and fiscal problems in Connecticut, concludes with recommending that the state adopt the land value tax in place of the conventional property tax. Here's what the bill will probably look like.
May 12, Sunday morning, nigh 20 people strolled through Old Town to see: What gave Portland its look? What could give it a makeover? And what we've lost, what we could gain, and how we could make the change. Everybody had fun – good questions, good conversation, and good senses of humor. Stay tuned and join us on the next geonomic walkabout.
Every other week in SE Portland, about a half dozen of us get together with snacks and drinks and chew over current events as seen through the lens of rent-seeking and more importantly rent-winning, and land speculation. The home and social space has room for more discussants. If you'd like to join the fun, email jjs at geonomics.org or call 503/568-5889.
Join us.
There are many ways to pitch in to make policy work right for people and planet.
Others in the Field
Dozens of organizations work for putting the publicly-generated site values into the public treasury. They range from Brookings in the nation's capital to the Budget & Policy Center in the Washington that's north of Oregon. All do needed work, all constitute a strand in the thick rope bringing the sharing of land value into the public arena. We've listed the scores in "Links We Like".
LVT and the Built Environment
On Solid Ground
Get a check from the common wealth?