4 ms·
Rothbard's error: under land nationalization, state actors decide who uses the land; under single tax, who uses the land is determined by auction.
by tlholaday 6y ago
Rothbard's error: under land nationalization, state actors decide who uses the land; under single tax, who uses the land is determined by auction.
- aww_dang 6y agoThe single quote is understandably a narrow view of the larger article. My view is that the 100% tax on income from the land removes profit motive and price discovery in a way which is similar to outright nationalization. However, I agree with your assessment of the quote as a stand alone item. https://mises.org/library/single-tax-economic-and-moral-implications https://mises.org/library/single-tax-economic-and-moral-impl...
- snidane 6y agoIt removes profit incentive of reselling land to somebody who wants to use it. It doesn't remove profit incentive of the activity you'd want to perform on that land. Land under 100% LVT only becomes an input to production. And makes it unprofitable for holding it for somebody else. When you are in business of making apple pies you simply buy apples as input. You don't need any middlemen holding them for you if you can hold them yourself.
- EGreg 6y agoIn fact it is similar to the error of those who equate slavery and wage slavery. With the latter, you have a choice of employer, even without safety nets.
- sudosysgen 6y agoActually, no. Land in the PRC is under state ownership, but except for exceptions that would tall under eminent domain here, it is mostly priced by auction, outside of agriculture. In any case, public land ownership is not in conflict with rent auctions.