Another successful politician endorses land value tax

Nick Boles
image from Financial Times

Nick Boles

MP for Grantham and Stamford. New-intake MP and a key moderniser. Former Policy Exchange director and one of the Notting Hill set. Deemed close to the leadership. Tipped for bigger things

I assume this means he’s successful, British political terminology being rather unfamiliar to me. What’s really important is that

Nick Boles, The MP for Grantham and Stamford says a Land Value Tax should be introduced and use the proceeds to cut National Insurance – permanently.

He doesn’t want to do it exactly how I would want to do it, because he seems to want to exclude owner-occupied residential land and farmland, without limitation.  But the important thing is, he’s a successful politician, he gets elected, and he appears to want to move toward a sound economy. I’m just some guy with a blog.

I also don’t know how all this relates to the British custom of building homes on rented land far more commonly than Americans do. But it seems to be his top priority.

Source: FT via GN

3 thoughts on “Another successful politician endorses land value tax”

  1. I own a restraunt in York which is a vibrant City largely due to its heritage. However, the Council favours out of town retail/ business parks and promotes them to the detrement of City traders. Recently the Council tried to sell the coach/ car park to move the facility ot a retail park saying that some trading casulties would be inevitable hence loss of valuable jobs. I suggest that parking at retail parks should be chargeable to generate income for the town centres. Also if town centre businesses continue to close the properties will fall into disrepair and eventually will be lost forever. No doubt derelict shops will be replaced with housing but who wants to live in a ghost town?

    1. Something like your suggestion is done in Pasadena, where “Parking meter revenue has been reinvested in Old Pasadena to maintain the streets, sidewalks and alleys, as well as provide new signs, lighting, pedestrian-friendly alleys, and other improvements restoring the area’s historic beauty.”

      More about it in this article and elsewhere around the ‘net.

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