> One way to help all of Detroit’s renters is to redistribute the income of landlords back to renters. The city could achieve this through a land value tax, whe

> One way to help all of Detroit’s renters is to redistribute the income of landlords back to renters. The city could achieve this through a land value tax, whereby Detroit redistributes a portion of the collected rent or imputed rent from landowners back to the city. Isn't this describing a simple income tax, where that income comes from rent, and not a land value tax? > Unlike a property tax, a land value tax also encourages the development of more rental units while discouraging building neglect and vacancy. That’s because under a land value tax, owning a dilapidated home or empty lot is more expensive than developing housing on that land. Why is it more expensive? And isn't a problem with a land value tax that it encourages keeping that value low, to reduce the tax burden? Suppose you have a street of homeowners, and they decide to fix up their yards, clean the street, turn an empty lot into a park, and other neighborhood improvements. Land in that neighborhood becomes more valuable, and the residents are punished for their good work with a higher tax!