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  • Henry George: Progress and Poverty: An inquiry into the cause of industrial depressions and of increase of want with increase of wealth ... The Remedy
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  • Bob Drake's abridgement of Henry George's original: Progress and Poverty: Why There Are Recessions and Poverty Amid Plenty -- And What To Do About It!
    This is a very readable thought-by-thought updating of Henry George's longer book, written in the language of a newsweekly. A fine way to get to know Henry George's ideas. Available online at progressandpoverty.org and http://www.henrygeorge.org/pcontents.htm

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« The Earth-for-All Calendar: February 27 -- Rousseau | Main | Earnings and findings -- earned and unearned income »

February 27, 2012

The Land Questions: #27 -- Financing a New Subway Line

27. A new subway line costs $2 billion.  Suppose that its construction increases the surrounding land values by $2 billion. (Assume 5 miles long, 10 stations, 0.5 mile radius, average lot size of 0.10 acre.   How should the new subway line be financed?

A. Taxes on sales of groceries, clothing, etc. within those 1/2 mile radius areas

B. Taxes on sales of groceries, clothing, etc., all over the city the subway line connects to

C. Taxes on sales of services within those 1/2 mile radius areas

D. Taxes on sales of services of all kinds, all over the city the subway line connects to

E. Taxes on wages of those working in those 1/2 mile radius areas

F. Taxes on wages all over the city the subway line connects to

G. Taxes on wages of those living within the 1/2 mile radius areas

H. Taxes on capital gains and dividends of those living within the 1/2 mile radius areas

I. Taxes on capital gains and dividends of those with residence anywhere in the city

J. Taxes on all real estate within those 1/2 mile radius areas

K. Taxes on all real estate, all over the city the subway line connects to

L. Taxes on just the buildings within those 1/2 mile radius areas

M. Taxes on all the buildings, all over the city the subway line connects to

N. Taxes on the land value within those 1/2 mile radius areas

O. Taxes on the land value, all over the city the subway line connects to

P. Transfer taxes on either or both of buyers and sellers whenever a property within the 1/2 mile radius is sold

Q. Transfer taxes on either or both of buyers and sellers whenever a property anywhere within the city is sold

R. An inheritance tax when a house or commercial property is transferred from a decedent to a survivor.

S. Your suggestions?

 

Posted on February 27, 2012 at 09:26 AM in all benefits go to landholder , assessment, better cities, buildings depreciate, capital gains are land gains, cui bono?, direct taxation, economic rent, facilitating commerce, financing infrastructure, fixing the economy, free lunch, fruits of one's labors, government's role, income tax, infrastructure, land appreciates buildings depreciate, land speculation, land value created by community, land value taxation, little people pay taxes, location, location, location, Natural Public Revenue, payroll tax, popular ignorance of land economics, population growth, privatization, property tax, property tax is two taxes, Proposition 13, public ownership of utilities, reaping what others sow, sales taxes are wrong, socializing risk and privatizing profit, special interests, sufficiency of land rent, the land questions, unburdening the economy, unearned increment, untaxing buildings, untaxing production, urban land value, user fees, wage taxes, wealth distribution or concentration, windfalls |

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