‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

Does Georgism work? Five years later

514 points · 522 comments · silveraxe93

  1. skew-aberration · · focus · HN ↗
    I think LVT does have a history in US, e.g Pittsburgh.

    Also Georgism is 100% LVT -> A land tax alone has been the recommendation of many economists before and after George - From Smith, Riccardo, Mill to Friedman. Across classical, neoclassical, Keynesian, Austrian schools. If there's one thing economists can agree on, it's that land tax is better than income tax.

    1. wahern · · focus · HN ↗
      There was also a community in the deep south. And I once read a case study about a town that tried it in, IIRC, New Mexico.

      Full LVT never works. It always ends up shot through with exceptions and loopholes and, in the case study, inducing corruption. And it's all predictable, too, if you know anything about taxation policy and American political culture. For full LVT you'd need to start from a blank slate, not just from a legal perspective but from people's expectations about property ownership.

      1. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

        [deleted]

Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.