Oxfordshire County County studies LVT report

From the minutes of the Executive of the Council on 15 March:
72/05. LAND VALUE TAX

(Agenda Item 26)

The Executive considered a report EX26 which summarised the outcome of the Land Tax Working Group’s investigations into how practical a land value tax system would and how the resulting tax levels would compare with the present system.

RESOLVED: (there being equality of voting, on the casting vote of the Chair) to refer the report to the Council without comment.
-----
The Full Council will consider a recommendation to Government at its last meeting before all-out elections on 5 May, on 5 April. The Chair of the LVT Working Group, Cllr Margaret Godden, is not standing for re-election but has a motion on the agenda:

Motion from Councillor Margaret Godden

The Council recognises that the Oxfordshire Land Value Taxation (LVT) Study has shown that:

1. the use of Land Value Taxation as a replacement for Council Tax and/or National Non-Domestic Rate is a practical option;

2. LVT would not be prohibitively expensive to introduce and would thereafter be cheaper to update than the present taxes;

3. LVT is a more progressive tax than Council Tax.

The Council also notes that LVT has advantages for local councils in that:

a. expenditure on infrastructure and services produces an immediate revenue stream for the council; and

b. the tax reinforces planning decisions, encouraging development where that is approved by the planning system, and reducing pressure on owners of undeveloped land which the planning authority wishes to protect.

The Council accordingly resolves to ask the appropriate government departments to proceed with trials of Land Value Taxation with the intention of either introducing it throughout England and Wales or of making it available to local councils who wish to adopt it. Oxfordshire County Council would be interested in taking part in such a trial.