It works by taking our 2021 proposal to reform Council Tax into a tax on the market value of homes and extending it to the market value of land as well.
(Right now, Council Tax is charged on a manor house, but not the larger estate)
For rural councils especially, a land tax could become a significant part of their budget. At the rate we suggest here, five councils would raise revenue equivalent to more than 50% of their current Council Tax revenue.
The Scottish Government response to my paper mentions a joint working group with Cosla on local government finance but does not mention the Citizens Assembly they promised would be held during this Parliament. Has that promise been formally dropped?
@thecommongreen great! A land or land value tax would be great here in the Highlands. The need for big estates to sell land, potentially flooding the market and lowering prices, would make it so much easier for communities to buy to build, helping the chronic shortages of housing. Especially if linked with legislation that favours community organisations in such sales.
@simonvarwell This is one of the reasons I see an advantage for our land tax (based on market rate) compared to a land value tax (based on notional economic value). If a landowner tries to dodge the tax by undervaluing their estate, that would just make it easier for locals to enact a compulsory purchase.
@SteveJonesnono1 I interviewed Richard on the Common Weal Policy Podcast about his report this week.
The critical difference is that his report looks UK-wide at reserved taxes, whereas mine is a devolved Scottish local affair. We're actually in agreement with both of our plans.
@SteveJonesnono1@thecommongreen while we're on the subject of progressive ideas, can I bore everyone yet again with the simplest and most progressive tax of all? (And yes, of course, this is all within devolved competence.)
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