EXTRACTED FROM PRACTICAL  POLITICS ISSUE NO. 206 APRIL 2014

PREFACE

On 22nd. May elections are being held both to the European Parliament and to local government bodies. On 18th.September, voters in Scotland have their referendum on whether or not to break away from the rest of the United Kingdom. In May 2015, a General Election is due to be held for the House of Commons at Westminster. There is also an election to the Scottish Parliament to be held in 2015 or perhaps in 2016. After the Scottish referendum, the Island Councils of Shetland, Orkney, and the Western Isles will be considering plebiscites on their own options vis-à-vis Westminster and Edinburgh.

In view of all this important activity, we consider now to be the appropriate moment to reassert the unique significance of land in economic analysis, setting out our approach to, and arguments in favour of,the policy of LVT, and including some specific illustrations of how its full and proper implementation can lead to the solution of economic and social problems. Some of the material will have appeared previously in “Practical Politics”and elsewhere,but the present form of presentation is new.

School of Economic Science Mid-term lecture, 28 October 1953, attributed to Leon MacLaren.  Copyright© School of Economic Science London

Tonight I shall talk about the relationship between human beings and land, without which man cannot earn a living. I shall talk about free land and enclosed land; and I must tellyou what I mean by these terms.

Whether land is free or enclosed, we must occupy some of it to the exclusion of others.We need space for our homes, places of work, meeting, recreation and the rest, The difference consists not in the private occupation of land, a necessary condition, but in the customs and laws governing its occupation.

It is neither desirable nor possible to achieve complete equality between human beings. Where inequality arises because some people work harder than others, or use their talents better, there is no problem. But the really gigantic gaps between rich and poor, both in this country and in the world outside, are nPandora Charms UK ot attributable to different attitudes to hard work or differences of skill, and are neither desirable nor necessary. These gaps arise because some people contrive to take the result of other people’s wealth. How do they do it?

The issues raised by tax avoidance have featured heavily in the media over the last six months or so and were prominent on the agenda of the recent G8 summit. Tax havens play a prominent role in these issPandora Sale ues. This morning I will briefly describe what a tax haven is, how they developed, where they are located, and indicate their global significance. I will then explore the question of whether the use of tax havens to avoid tax necessarily gives rise to injustice.

What is a tax haven?

The term ‘tax haven’ is a bit of a misnomer, for these places don’t just offer an escape from tax.  One useful definition is ‘a place that seeks to attract business by offering politically stable facilities to help people or entities toPandora Bracelets UK Sale get around the rules, laws and regulations of jurisdictions elsewhere’. In other words thPandora Braceletsey offer escape routes from the duties that come with living in and obtaining benefits from society – tax, financial regulation, criminal laws, inheritance rules and so on. This is their core business. 

“When are businessmen, politicians, college professors and ordinary citizens who ask the silly question, “what state aCheap Pandora Beads UK gency enforces natural laws,” going to realise that the terrible crises of war, depression and runaway inflation are the natural enforcement agencies of natural laws? It better be soon!” So said Seymour Rauch in his essay “Credit and the Rent-Interest Index” HG News September 1953.

DEBT IS INEVITABLE – UNLESS WE CHANGE OUR WAYS.

“Some men work to maintain others who labour not. That is unjust.”(1)

Tommas Graves December 2011.

The quest for a fair distribution of wealth becomes obligatory if we consider the following questions;-

By Merle Edwards – WHAT IS LAND VALUE TAXATION? Don’t we have more than enough taxes already? Why do we need another one? And why land value tax? What exactly is land value? Why should taxing land be any different, or better, than taxing anything else?

Read on for a careful consideration of these questions.

By Tommas Graves – The banking community did not seem very contrite when blamed for the credit crunch. It was as if they had no idea why they were at fault,