Dear Fred

Inspired by the issues raised in the Intellectuals Unite meeting of April 13 we wanted to further explore the idea of Land Tax proposed by Fred Harrison (read article).
Could land tax form the bedrock of a new type of social revolution? One that dismantles the status quo from the land up.

Dear Fred,

    It is great to be connected with you and the Backs Against Parliament is a lovely idea. I wrote my article because around Chapter 3 I stopped reading. I was still struggling; each time you mentioned “rent”. I didn’t know which rent you exactly meant. Therefore, I needed to stop and work out for myself what land tax really meant. I knew it was of major importance. I also wanted a document to explain this as soon as possible to others. It took me 5 days with as many re-writes. I have not read the book further but now I will.

   Please explain how people pay for what they receive. Is it possible to have a single tax, a land tax? If so, do you then pay rent to the landlord, for say, a house or services and he passes that on to the public purse when he pays his land tax? Is this the way you don’t need a property tax? Please try to answer taking into account of how this creates a fairer price for people to live. Maybe it would be good to include this information in my article.

Also, I spoke to Julian Assange who agrees a land tax but he also said there is need for an energy tax.

   I want to ask a question but let me tell you something specific – Any Questions Radio 4: ‘Should aspiration and wealth creation be dirty words?’ John Hilary from War on Want agreed with the other panellists that it wasn’t but said that Cameron’s policies attacked the poor. Another panellist said the complexities of the tax codes aided those who avoided tax, the volumes were now x time thicker than War and Peace.

   I would have answered, yes. Our present system is designed to create poverty/syphon off money for the few rich. The logical conclusion: total poverty (no markets, people either too poor or dead). A system rigged to fail, dependent on fossil fuels which are finite.

   What facts would you have relayed here, Fred? What is the main tax of our rotten financial system? Is it private property?

   Further, how would you relay neatly the beauty of the Land Tax and does this automatically supply the antidote – a fair tax?

   A panellist cited Bill Gates as the world’s most popular man because of his charities and especially his battle against malaria but what of the need to tackle our problems at source? Priority of business as usual (Climate Change Monsanto). Land Tax allows organic development with the earth and community. It seems possible that community support with no poverty could control over population, parents would not need so many children if they played together and lived next door to their friends, it could be as good as family.

   I think the question, ‘Should aspiration and wealth creation be dirty words?’ shows that people are ready for the land tax.

   I will post this letter on Climate Revolution – could build up interest in land tax.