Global Taxation Matters

A Revealing Landvaluescape "making property tax more acceptable using value maps" is the title of a paper just submitted for publication by Richmond Law and Tax in their forthcoming Volume III of a series "Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation" that began in 2002 and led to my new life as an academic researcher.

In outline, it suggests that campaigners for land value taxation (LVT) may be undermining their cause - and that of better 'joined-up' geo-data policy - by emphasising the link between tax reform and value maps. It "frightens the horses"!

A better strategy is to encourage industry groups such as insurers, property investors and mortgage lenders to jointly approach governments with a strong case for sorting out geo-data first. The Knowledge Economy needs value maps anyway. Only when landvaluescape is on the way to being revealed should the case for LVT be pursued.

Subject to peer review the paper should appear in the next "Critical Issues" in time for the sixth Global Environmental Taxation Conference in Leuven, Belgium 15-17 Sep 2005. Contact Prof Dr Kurt Deketelaire for details