What are your thoughts on replacing council tax with land value tax?

[MikeRafone]

So what are the thoughts to scrap council tax and instead tax value land?

that is what Andy Burnham wants to do if he gets where he want

he sees council tax as a regressive tax, as unfair and wants to see it changed to a land value tax.

Churchill was. In favour of Land tax as a fairer system. Advocated for by Adam Smith the founder of modern economics and Milton Friedman adviser to Margaret Thatcher

They’re talking about making it a % of market value so not really a land value tax

Seems like a potential way to force people out of homes and more rural ones by taxing the nuts off you

Indeed, why should someone with a smallish house but large garden be charged more? It's not like it costs the tax payer more. There is no link at all, it seems bizarre. The poll tax was unpopular, but there is some logic to charging per person.

More of this kind of thing. VAT on schools etc has been damaging and Starmer and co are out tg as the electorate see through them, but McFadden’s line still applies.

Every meeting is who can we tax more
‘Every meeting I have is “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”.

Well now the rumour mill is saying they will reduce the threshold for the mansion tax. This is what always happens - introduce a tax on the few and then over time it ends up being levied on everyone

so mansion tax plus lvt equals being screwed if you live in London

‘Rumour mill’ is the key phrase here.

Well of course. But it tends to be the way new taxes work

if he’s any good at expectations management he will be getting really bad stuff leaked and then not do any of it!

Overall, there is a big effort over three threads at present to set people against a possible tax doesn’t even exist as a proposal, and may turn out to be a big improvement for many if it becomes reality.

Curiously a number of the posters who see problems with the nonexistent tax and its unknown details, including you, have no posting history under their user names.

There’s also an effort to sell it in. And what’s with the attack on the pp.

Ok you got me - Nige has paid me out of his dodgy £5m to write slightly critical posts about policies leaked in the press to test the waters🤣

and what’s wrong with my posting history? Maybe he paid me to post on the doghouse and relationships and teenagers. No money in the world will get me posting on the archers thread again though

Some PPs have pointed put that according to an online calculator for one version of the nonexistent tax, their own payments go down. Others, that their payments go up.

The philosophical or theoretical positives have virtually all been posted in response to hypothetical complaints about the nonexistent tax, usually with quotations.

I merely pointed out that PP was using a new name. I never think that is a good look with political posts. It suggests that either you don’t have the courage of your convictions or you are a political operative, stirring up trouble.

We have had many, many of these posts critical of every major government policy - and now one that has not even been bruited formally - since Labour came to power and almost none before. Each MumsNetter can think for herself why the change may have occurred.

Well, that will be fabulous for all my neighbours in 4 bed detached houses on leasehold land who didn’t make the mistake of buying the freehold when it was available.

Good point, the reason always quoted for this never happening was that if it is based on land value it targets the real wealth, the real "establishment". Unfortunately AB is going to walk into a financial crisis as interest rates rise across the globe and this and much else will be forgotten or U-Turned on as he struggles to stay in place.

Any tax taken to provide services should be based on the people using those services. Two people living in a house on a large plot of land growing their own fruit and veg, composting everything and walking to the shops use fewer services than a family of five living in a three bed house filling their black bin with disposable nappies.

as he will inevitably be using it as a means to try and bludgeon more money out of those that have it, to give to more people that don't contribute, I can't really say I'm that excited by the prospect.

Will that be on income earned locally, or by those living locally? If it’s earned locally, then areas with few high-skilled high-paid jobs would see low tax take and some London boroughs would be very well-funded. If it’s based on the income of those living locally then in areas of high unemployment local tax take would be minimal. The self employed would use loopholes to avoid tax in the same way as many do for CSA. How would we treat those who work overseas, or who work a bit of cash in hand?

All of those people have money, just not necessarily through earnings. Income is a better term than earnings.