Re: Land tax -- the Hudson/Gaffney challenge (Re: better tax code: no income tax, head tax (&| ppty t)

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:55:03 +0000, royls wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:20:49 GMT, "Dan in Philly" <djr8@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

"PeterBP" <ask@xxxxxx> wrote in message ...

Why are contractual arrangements regarding land supposed to be more
difficult to obscure than any others?

Because you cant hide land itself like you can with say a PC?

His point is that you can hide the *value* of land. Instead of selling you a
piece of land for $500,000, I can officially sell it to you for $100,000 and
secretly give you $400,000. So the land tax will be based on the $100,000
number.

All that would do is succeed in getting your competitors' land taxes
lowered.

If we are speaking of the "single tax" then it also results in government
going broke and the end of land deed enforcement by government. The
result of such shenanigans would seem to be an increase in the tax rate or
a better assessment of the taxed "value". Sales price is NOT value. Use
value is the only _real_ value.

--
"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers
of society but the people themselves; and
if we think them not enlightened enough to
exercise their control with a wholesome
discretion, the remedy is not to take it from
them, but to inform their discretion by
education." - Thomas Jefferson
http://GreaterVoice.org/extend

.