Occupying Common Ground

http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2011/11/occupying-common-ground/

The protesters camping outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London are voicing the views of many people – and pointing the way towards real local democracy

What has the Occupy movement outside St Paul’s Cathedral and other places got to do with the work of the local authority treasurer?

The answer might seem to be ‘not much’ – but that would be a serious error of judgement. Those protesters have the world of the local authority well within their sights. If serious proposals come from these camps and these influence public debate, this is an area where real demands for change may be made.

On my last visit to Tent City University (where I had the honour of speaking), a very serious debate on the issue of land value taxation was in progress. It has been a recurrent theme of discussion there.

That tax is, of course, a direct alternative to council tax, which is, as many of those involved in the discussion were all too aware, profoundly regressive. The charge it makes on those with low incomes tends to be much higher proportionately than that made on higher income owners in larger properties.

That puts this tax firmly in the whole 99%/1% inequality arena that is at the core of the concerns of the Occupy movement. Our suspicion is that this will have lasting repercussions.

But that is not the end of the interest  the Occupy movement has for those working in local authorities. The process of democracy itself is under scrutiny in these camps, which are themselves explorations in consensus decision-making.

 Richard Murphy

Altoona, PA - First to rely solely on LVT

From the Altoona Mirror:

Some calls were from people who - believe it or not - thought they were paying too little, City Clerk Linda Rickens Schellhammer said. They worried the city would come after them later.
Some people called to complain, some to express puzzlement, some from curiosity, said Finance Director Omar Strohm.
The confusion came from an increase that seemed to come from nowhere, according to Mike Baldner, chief assessor for Blair County. There would have been more calls, but reductions in the house tax offset the increase in land tax for many, Baldner said.
Actually, it offset the increase for most, according to a report from the Center for the Study of Economics.
This year, 72 percent of residential parcels - not including vacant lots - got a cut, according to the study. The biggest group got a $10 decrease approximately, the report stated.
Most of the "screaming" came from those with vacant lots, according to Baldner. Their properties were in the crosshairs of the increase.

On Facebook? Take a look at the LVT group. Great discussions and information. Supporters of land value taxation are welcome to join the group.

From OpEd News:

A Great Georgist Introductory Video!
Here's one of the best little videos I've seen in a long time on what Land Value Taxation is and why we need it.  It's well worth spending 10 minutes - I can't wait for the promised part 2!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itO7OoKtNUc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I met some of the student creators at last summer's class at the Henry George School in New York City when this was just a bare-bones 10 second animation.  Great job, guys!  Let's publicize this. 

We're back. Not that we were ever really gone, but we have failed to maintain this particular blog. There has been plenty of activity regarding land value taxes during these last couple of years. For other great current information, see the How to End Poverty site. Awesome work being done there by some truly awesome people. Check it out, then check back here for upcoming news.