Joshua Vincent, Executive Director Center for the Study of Economics 7488 Oxford Avenue Philadelphia PA Land value tax: Funding community from the public commons, feasibility and practical applications

 Used in communities in Pennsylvania  Has Lowered Taxes  Has helped Growth in Urban areas

Current Methods of LVT The need for a BID is often caused by vacant or blighted lots. LVT in a BID puts burden on owners that cause the problem. Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership Business Improvement District $1.4 M Primary Revenue Source: Land Value Street & Walk Cleaning Lot Maintenance Operational Purpose

Parks and Greenways provide public benefit to proximate landowners. For example, the Kansas City, MO Parks and Boulevards levy collects from those beneficiaries yet, benefit has a cost. Parks and Boulevards System, planned and built 1890s s Kansas City, MO Boulevard Tax that is currently $1.00/ft, and generates $600,000 Revenue: Land Value Parkway Maintenance Tax levied on Land-Only, generates $6.6 million a year Purpose: Maintenance of the City Plan Current Methods of LVT

Sharing the commons from LVT Berkshire County MA: Stark Division of Poverty and Wealth Regional Tax Base Sharing A regional LVT shares benefits created by state and local investment Revenue: Land Value Wealthier towns pay their fair share but are not dragged down economically Purpose: Broad- based Economic Benefit

The Commons and the Wealth Gap, a Case Study: Connecticut’s Congressional District 4

Income and population

Urban poverty

Unemployment

Property wealth

The Commons Wealth – to be distributed with justice, equity and efficiency, and annually

The Commons Wealth in the Global South, a Model launched: Namibia Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act, Act No. 6 of 1995 and the Land Valuation and Taxation Regulations. Intent: Discourage multiple ownership of farms (through the application of a progressive rate of tax) Encourage redistribution/diversification of ownership; Encourage the efficient utilization of commercial agricultural land Relieve poverty through resettlement and decongestion of communal areas Raise revenue for the Land Acquisition & Development Fund (LADF) to facilitate & accelerate land acquisition, distribution and development process.

Namibia: A Promising Start SOUTHERN AFRICA: Namibian land tax may serve as model The Oxford Analytica Daily Brief ® - October 2006 Successful implementation of a land tax in Namibia and the collection of better- than-expected revenues have confounded critics, including some white farmers, who argued that it would be too costly and complicated to implement or administer effectively. This has important consequences for South Africa, where land taxes could provide a compromise between slow-paced market reforms and controversial compulsory acquisitions.

Namibia: a Viable Future “….the government raised N$230 million which compliments allocations from finance towards land acquisition.” 11/4/13 The Namibian government aims to redistribute at least 15 million hectares of commercial farmland from previously advantaged white farmers to previously disadvantaged black farmers by At the end of 2012, 7.5 million hectares of commercial farmland had been redistributed, which represents a 50 percent success rate. Hon. Alpheus !Naruseb Lands and Resettlement Minister:

Models for progress towards prosperity Foreseeable barriers and known unknowns: 1.Lack of education 2.Lack of political will 3.Necessity to synthesize sometimes conflicting philosophies 4.Identifying opposition 5.Most Important: Lack of Information

The building blocks of information, a local to global project What will this project look like? Think of the Data Tree: Trunk

The building blocks of information, a local to global project Think of the Data Tree: Branches

The building blocks of information, a local to global project Think of the Data Tree: Leaves

Purpose of the project: Rent Sharing Good data = Good Policy In this illustration, relatively high tax burdens do not neatly correlate to ability to pay: Generally poor and postindustrial areas cannot pay for essential services that the community needs.

Purpose of the project: Rent Sharing In the Northeast United States, wage incomes are low relative to property tax burdens. A new approach is needed

Purpose of the project: participation in helping the world find a way out of the poverty trap. New approaches are needed worldwide. Collection of publicly created economic rent can provide opportunities for not just a few…from my town to your town