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While most want to live in a society that provides some base level of features, we have huge difference of opinion of what that is. For example, police. If you
by virmundi 8y ago
While most want to live in a society that provides some base level of features, we have huge difference of opinion of what that is.
For example, police. If you legalized all drugs, you'd not need as many as you have. You could save money by not having their salaries, pensions, and benefits. You could also increase revenue by having reasonable taxes on the sale of the vice. Now you don't need to take land from people.
My whole point in all of this is that property taxes are not necessary. Rather they are used by people that don't want to think about ways to truly free their society. Those people limit building heights. They limit trade. They limit the very means that a state could make a reasonable income.
- mikeash 8y agoNo individual tax is necessary, but if you agree that government funding is needed then it’s just a question of what you tax. I don’t see why property tax should be singled out as being particularly bad, and the argument you’re making seems to be more like “I don’t want to pay so much” rather than “property taxes are worse than these other taxes.” Note than land value taxes, a special case of property taxes, are widely considered to be the most efficient means of taxation among economists.
- virmundi 8y agoThe issue is you’re maintaining a tax on a purchase after it’s purchased. It’s perpetual sales tax. If we can tax in over ways, why create a specific instance for this kind of tax?
- mikeash 8y agoReal estate is special in all sorts of legal and physical ways. I don't see why it’s weird that this would include taxes.