5 ms·

You mean seizure of land? That's quite a risky thing to do. Plenty of now 3rd world countries destroyed themselves doing that. If people can't trust the governm

You mean seizure of land? That's quite a risky thing to do. Plenty of now 3rd world countries destroyed themselves doing that. If people can't trust the government to enforce property rights, then how can they invest in property safely? That could then limit investing in business that owns property. Maybe it would be safe for the economy if it's done according to a law which is not retroactively applied to existing owners. Something like requiring new owners to be personally identified before they can even be granted ownership. Then there's no seizing required.

pjc50 9y ago
More like "bona vacantia". Or, if the UK had a meaningful property tax, a requirement to file said tax non-anonymously. (The UK could also do with cadastral mapping to solve a different set of problems; available only in Scotland)
- GavinMcG 9y ago
  (Would the opposite of "anonymous" be "nonymous"?)
  - morsch 9y ago
    No, the word you're looking for is onymous[1]. The internal structure is an-onymous: c. 1600, "without a name;" 1670s, "published under no name, of unknown authorship," from Late Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymos "without a name," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + onyma, Æolic[4] dialectal form of onoma "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name").[2] Onoma survives in onomatopoeia[3] (and other words). [1] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/onymous https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/onymous "Used Rarely" [2] https://www.etymonline.com/word/anonymous https://www.etymonline.com/word/anonymous [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia [4] Aeolic Greek (/iːˈɒlɪk/; also Aeolian /iːˈoʊliən/, Lesbian or Lesbic dialect) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolic_Greek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolic_Greek
    - cgio 9y ago
      In modern greek it would be eponymous.
elipsey 9y ago
I didn't mean to propose that, but I see the problem that land is _already_ owned anonymously. Also, we (in the U.S.) already do this in limited circumstances. For example, if I don't pay my property taxes for long enough, my property will by auctioned by the state. My tax standing is publically reported from the tax assesor's database so that my neighbors can hunt for bargains. Perhaps legislation could add ownership reporting requirements for future purchases, or require better identity reporting for future property tax payments.
- koolba 9y ago
  That’d likely eliminate the scamola of a business known as “title insurance” as well.
  - pjc50 9y ago
    Title insurance is an American problem; it's present in other jurisdictions, but most systems make it easy to determine if title is clear. (England has its own craziness of chancel repair liability instead)
    - robin_reala 9y ago
      And crazy is definitely the right word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability I’ve just sold my property in the UK and at the advice of my solicitors took out easement insurance to guard against denial of access of the private road that leads to the house that no-one knows who owns (even though the local council maintain it).
- lopmotr 9y ago
  I don't see how it can fairly be changed for existing owners without screwing them over. It's different with property tax defaults and eminent domain because there's existing law that people know about and can plan around. Not just "tell us who you are and get imprisoned in your own country for corruption or we'll take your house".
Lionsion 9y ago
> You mean seizure of land? That's quite a risky thing to do. Not really, it happens all the time, see eminent domain and adverse possession, etc. It's generally viewed as against public policy for land to be left unused. Perhaps they could assess special, onerous taxes on property without a clear owner, and require said owner(s) identify themselves clearly when they're paid. If they don't, the property could be seized to pay the taxes.
baud147258 9y ago
> You mean seizure of land? [...] Plenty of now 3rd world countries destroyed themselves doing that. Didn't the South African government recently decided to do that? Taking white-owned farmland without compensation? We'll see how it goes.
- CaptainZapp 9y ago
  You don't have to wait for that. Just look what happened in Zimbabwe.
  - baud147258 9y ago
    I'm interested how it goes there. I know what happened in Zimbabwe.

pjc50 9y ago

More like "bona vacantia". Or, if the UK had a meaningful property tax, a requirement to file said tax non-anonymously. (The UK could also do with cadastral mapping to solve a different set of problems; available only in Scotland)

GavinMcG 9y ago
(Would the opposite of "anonymous" be "nonymous"?)
- morsch 9y ago
  No, the word you're looking for is onymous[1]. The internal structure is an-onymous: c. 1600, "without a name;" 1670s, "published under no name, of unknown authorship," from Late Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymos "without a name," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + onyma, Æolic[4] dialectal form of onoma "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name").[2] Onoma survives in onomatopoeia[3] (and other words). [1] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/onymous https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/onymous "Used Rarely" [2] https://www.etymonline.com/word/anonymous https://www.etymonline.com/word/anonymous [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia [4] Aeolic Greek (/iːˈɒlɪk/; also Aeolian /iːˈoʊliən/, Lesbian or Lesbic dialect) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolic_Greek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolic_Greek
  - cgio 9y ago
    In modern greek it would be eponymous.

elipsey 9y ago

I didn't mean to propose that, but I see the problem that land is _already_ owned anonymously. Also, we (in the U.S.) already do this in limited circumstances. For example, if I don't pay my property taxes for long enough, my property will by auctioned by the state. My tax standing is publically reported from the tax assesor's database so that my neighbors can hunt for bargains. Perhaps legislation could add ownership reporting requirements for future purchases, or require better identity reporting for future property tax payments.

koolba 9y ago
That’d likely eliminate the scamola of a business known as “title insurance” as well.
- pjc50 9y ago
  Title insurance is an American problem; it's present in other jurisdictions, but most systems make it easy to determine if title is clear. (England has its own craziness of chancel repair liability instead)
  - robin_reala 9y ago
    And crazy is definitely the right word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability I’ve just sold my property in the UK and at the advice of my solicitors took out easement insurance to guard against denial of access of the private road that leads to the house that no-one knows who owns (even though the local council maintain it).
lopmotr 9y ago
I don't see how it can fairly be changed for existing owners without screwing them over. It's different with property tax defaults and eminent domain because there's existing law that people know about and can plan around. Not just "tell us who you are and get imprisoned in your own country for corruption or we'll take your house".

Lionsion 9y ago

> You mean seizure of land? That's quite a risky thing to do. Not really, it happens all the time, see eminent domain and adverse possession, etc. It's generally viewed as against public policy for land to be left unused. Perhaps they could assess special, onerous taxes on property without a clear owner, and require said owner(s) identify themselves clearly when they're paid. If they don't, the property could be seized to pay the taxes.

baud147258 9y ago

> You mean seizure of land? [...] Plenty of now 3rd world countries destroyed themselves doing that. Didn't the South African government recently decided to do that? Taking white-owned farmland without compensation? We'll see how it goes.

CaptainZapp 9y ago
You don't have to wait for that. Just look what happened in Zimbabwe.
- baud147258 9y ago
  I'm interested how it goes there. I know what happened in Zimbabwe.