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The founding father of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, was heavily influenced by Georgism. He believed all income derived from land, including appreciat
by yufeng66 6y ago
The founding father of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, was heavily influenced by Georgism. He believed all income derived from land, including appreciation of the land, should be heavily taxed. He incorporated it into three principle of the people, which is the cornerstone Kuomintang ideology.
But nobody would argue Taiwan is a Georgism heaven right now. Why? Rich and political powerful people own the land. Georgism as a practical matter is very difficult to push through.
- zozbot234 6y agoDoesn't Taiwan (in common with other Asian countries) mostly allocate land to the private sector via long-term leases, as opposed to ownership of indeterminate duration? That would be enough to regard it as quite Georgist.
- em500 6y agoNo, most of Taiwanese property is freehold. You might be thinking of Hong Kong and mainland China, where almost all private property is leasehold.
- sudosysgen 6y agoLeasehold land is mostly a thing in communist countries that claim to temporarily implement capitalism.
- neilparikh 6y agoOne example (maybe the only example?) of a capitalist country with leasehold land is Singapore. The land policy there seems to have worked relatively well.
- WilliamEdward 6y agoIt is because the rich and powerful own the land that georgism is hard to push through. You could implement georgist laws simply, but the rich and powerful have connections that you don't and politics will always favour them, so you won't get any of that policy to hold. This isn't georgism's fault in particular, but the fault of just about any tax scheme.