Re: Best response to landowner tax complaints?


<royls@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:426d563e.16530260@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 19:54:46 GMT, "sinister" <sinister@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
>>Any suggestions for a short list of counterpoints?
>
> One problem is that few people are intelligent enough to understand
> the economic analysis that shows why the ultimate true beneficiaries
> of almost all government spending are landowners.
>
> Another problem is that whatever argument you make about land value,
> pretty much the opposite case can be made about improvement value,
> which the property tax also taxes.
>
> Whatever argument you make, it might be a good idea to start out by
> stipulating that you agree improvement value should not be taxed at
> all: "Improvement value is a measure of what the property owner
> contributes to the wealth of the community; land value is a measure of
> what the community contributes to the wealth of the property owner.
> Let's start by agreeing that property taxes are not fair because
> improvements should be taxed less, while land should be taxed more."
>
> Whatever objections are raised, just keep referring to the fact that
> land value is a gift from the community to the property owner: "When
> the community is giving you tens of thousands of dollars in increased
> land value every year for doing nothing, don't you think you should be
> willing to give a little more of it back? How much of a welfare
> subsidy giveaway to property owners would be enough for you? If it it
> was another person giving you that money for doing nothing, you'd be
> willing to give back at least half of it if they asked you for it,
> wouldn't you? Why does the fact that you are getting it from
> government and the community rather than an individual make you so
> unwilling to give more than a small fraction of it back?"

Thanks.

I'll also search some of your old posts to get some ideas.

I'm getting pretty fed up of listening to all the homeowners around here
piss and moan. The irritating aspect is that no one is presenting the other
side. And the local (county-level) income tax is pretty steep, and hardly
progressive.

Not that I think the local government spends all the money wisely.

> -- Roy L


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dont Forget Mises -- and Dump the Third Way!
    ... The community, through government, administers possession and use ... of the land in any case, and is thus the ultimate landowner. ... there does not make one a contributor to production. ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Re: Dont Forget Mises -- and Dump the Third Way!
    ... he is not compensating the community for the benefits he ... The community, through government, administers possession and use ... >> of the land in any case, and is thus the ultimate landowner. ... The owner does not contribute a natural resource to production, ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Significance of Not Disarming Hizbullah
    ... ISRAELI GOVERNMENT HAS NO SENSE OF TIMING ... "Maariv" apologized to the community for alleging that it was ... calling it land thieves without having checked properly. ...
    (soc.culture.israel)
  • Re: Dont Forget Mises -- and Dump the Third Way!
    ... The community, through government, administers possession and use ... > of the land in any case, and is thus the ultimate landowner. ... > there does not make one a contributor to production. ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Re: Dont Forget Mises -- and Dump the Third Way!
    ... >> Which benefits the community did not provide. ... > to the beginning you see that NOBODY provided the land and that ... the rent of the land is the property of the community. ... That is done by a representative government in most ...
    (sci.econ)