With the prospect of a Balanced Parliament comes great opportunity for serious research into property tax reform.
The Liberal Democrats, who seem more than likely to be decisive in the outcome for Government of the UK, are firmly in support of Land Value Taxation. Their manifesto explicitly states they will:-
"Reform business rates, creating a fairer system where rates are based on site values rather than rental values..."
Also the Cooperative Party, which sponsors about 30 "Labour and Cooperative" candidates (including Gordon Brown!) has even more explicit and detailed support for LVT in its manifesto:-
"Land Reform - As we seek to bring stability to the financial system, it is only right that we aim to do the same for the property markets. A key policy concern for the future has to be to keep growth in house prices consistent with other parts of the economy. We should use taxation to change incentives within the property market, ensuring that we incentivise the productive use of land rather than expected capital gains in an upward market."
The Green Party manifesto also supports LVT.
To learn more about the prospects for LVT in Britain and how it could provide an opportunity for researchers in a wide range of professions, please consider attending the re-launch of the Professional Land Reform Group (PLRG) this Thursday, in London. The details of this meeting were announced here last month.
PLRG representatives will take part in a meeting late next month with officials at HM Treasury to discuss land and property tax reform specifically. If you would like to contribute to preparations for this meeting, please contact Dr Tony Vickers as soon as possible.
