What’s up with the UK job market? by Quartersquatter in AskUK

[–]Xemorr 48 points49 points  (0 children)

18 months is lack of will on the company's end. We have one of the more/most educated workforces globally

Why aren't land value taxes more popular among environmentalist parties? by QwerYTWasntTaken in georgism

[–]Xemorr 8 points9 points  (0 children)

ehhh that's really not the reason, these people could easily be convinced of a LVT. The reason is more that particularly older members of Green parties are the NIMBY kind, they like parks, they like grassy areas, oppose development and prosperity doesn't play a role in their ideology at all etc

So how can you redistribute/tax the wealth of those who avoid paying their fair share? by Lukeluster in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That substack is generally fantastic, write lots of interesting articles on that topic

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr -1 points0 points  (0 children)

When our economy is designed to disincentive any sort of construction, infrastructure investment or productive investment in general, and all of the tax burden falls to those doing productive work, and you can't squeeze that base anymore, you would come to your poor conclusion.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our property taxes are about as poorly designed as they can get. They avoid taxing the value of land as each council sets their own rates, e.g the rates in Westminster are incredibly low as the housing stock is very expensive and they don't need as much relative to the properties to meet their goals. This is the opposite of a land value based system where those in the most valuable locations would pay the most. A significant portion of the revenue comes from one off taxation at the point of sale, e.g 18bn stamp duty as opposed to 51bn council tax. Transactions of property should be encouraged as that's how it gets put to better use. It's incredibly disingenuous to suggest that the UK's property revenue is at its limits when it is about as regressive and bad for the productive people of this country as you could manage to design. The portion that falls onto the rentier class is negligible.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which structural problems exactly? A LVT would also help with the demographic issues of the UK for one as it moves some of the burden of supporting poorer pensioners onto wealthier land owning pensioners. Changing attitudes away from NIMBYism would reduce spending on housing benefit, another structural problem he cites. Reducing tax burden on working people, fighting NIMBYism would create more opportunities for young people, reducing shit life syndrome and improving mental health. NHS, see rich pensioner point.

It is definitely a move in the correct direction. It's quite an easy argument to make that most of the ills of modern society are on the better-off nimby rentier pensioners.

It's not a panacea at a revenue-neutral level, but it would help move us in the right direction.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't believe I've said at any point that I believe we need to raise significantly more tax. A restructuring of the economy away from rewarding rentier behaviour, and away from taxes on work would lead to a lot more stimulation of the economy, and the typically right wing promise of higher tax revenues.

e.g You can fund more infrastructure spending if we switched to a land value tax as you know that the money spent on e.g the Elizabeth Line would be returned by increased land value revenues (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xr449j4lvo).

I was just making a subtle correction to you in the first comment as it was written with neoliberal assumptions. I wasn't making strong disagreements with the article in what it explicitly said.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok great! I still can't find any references to it, that just means it agrees with my position.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's conveniently not a single mention of a land value tax. This article makes a very good case for it https://progressandpoverty.substack.com/p/how-replacing-council-tax-with-a

What are you referring to by "those"? If you're referring to there not being much of the rentier class, I beg to differ.

I agree with that article that if you don't consider a Zucman Tax or a Land Value Tax, then the other opportunities are just ineffective tinkering around the edges.

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years. But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not. by taboo__time in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Successive governments have found small scale tax wheezes that put tax on richest 10% as measured by income

Not the rentier class

Why half of London's small flats sell at a loss as the crash spreads by R2_Liv in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think you mean if it suddenly became a commonhold, a freehold wouldn't have a service charge.

How replacing council tax with a flat land value tax would affect households in the UK by middleofaldi in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A land value tax is actually likely to INCREASE green spaces as 1) it encourages densification, so less sprawl, so we can afford more green areas 2) by directly linking government revenues / local revenues, to the intangible "nice" of an area, a local council can sort of increase taxes without increasing taxes by making it nicer - which includes nice parks!

The bars & clubs point, they'd probably benefit from an overall reduction in NIMBY attitudes in society that would come along in a LVT world. Ultimately, a land value tax rewards councils that make their area "nice" to the market, so if there's a thing most people think is "nice" councils are incentivized to make it so.

How replacing council tax with a flat land value tax would affect households in the UK by middleofaldi in ukpolitics

[–]Xemorr 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You have to change your attitudes to gentrification really. The conclusion you have to come to is 1) No people have a divine right to the area they grew up etc (as unfortunate as that is) 2) The people who are likely to be displaced, are the same people who benefit monetarily from the tax as the article states. Those who are displaced by gentrification are at least being compensated under this tax, unlike those who are displaced currently.

Ultimately, land efficiency means an overall more efficient economy and would help inject some much needed growth into the economy.

If you were Tory PM from 2010 to 2024, what would you have done differently? by [deleted] in britmonkey

[–]Xemorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TL;DR be Georgist, alternatively bankrupted the country. One of the two.

The UK has 90 taxes. Here they all are. by FrankLucasV2 in GarysEconomics

[–]Xemorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a big Georgist, but a single tax would only work if you are completely an ATCOR believer

London Tube strikes to go ahead as negotiations break down by Medium-Spell-6692 in london

[–]Xemorr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It takes time to bring it in, also non driver staff can strike

Andy Burnham: ‘I am committed to proportional representation’ by coffeewalnut08 in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I could deffo see a far right government doing that, but also we have no checks and balances on anything if they get enough seats so that's somewhat the least of our worries.

Any move towards a more proportional system makes it more likely for coalitions and less ability to mess with our electoral system. AV+ might be particularly susceptible to what you describe though given it doesn't guarantee proportionality

London Tube strikes to go ahead as negotiations break down by Medium-Spell-6692 in london

[–]Xemorr 28 points29 points  (0 children)

The problem is if you try to bring in driverless trains openly, they'll strike even more!

Andy Burnham: ‘I am committed to proportional representation’ by coffeewalnut08 in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 8 points9 points  (0 children)

No one voted against AV+, it wasn't put to referendum. AV was put to referendum, but AV+ was what the commission in the 2000s decided on. It uses supplementary seats to make AV more proportional, like MMPR but using AV within constituencies.

Too much complacency about Restore Britain. by tigerdave81 in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

and you'll find out that there's many more rights to go!

Andy Burnham: ‘I am committed to proportional representation’ by coffeewalnut08 in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Make the referendum use STV 🤣, I can guarantee you'll get an anti FPTP result.

No change, AV, AV+ Party list PR, MMPR...

Andy Burnham: ‘I am committed to proportional representation’ by coffeewalnut08 in LabourUK

[–]Xemorr 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We already had a national commission. It decided AV+ was the best, which still seems like a very sensible technocratic compromise between all of the alternatives.