JohnCorrespondent wrote:
That would not be the point, unless it were assumed that I were in this for personal gain.
Under my suggested system, if it were suddenly implemented right now, I would lose monetarily. I'm retired; I'm not actively earning money (though I do receive retirement income), nor producing anything, nor making my own food. Regarding my consumption of natural resources: I occupy a plot of land, about 6,000 square feet, which is really more space than I need as living space. Under my suggested system, I'd be paying a higher-than current tax on this plot of land, maybe high enough that I might consider moving to a smaller plot of land. Or, I might consider making this land productive, by raising vegetables on it. I have a house on it. I might rent out a room or two. That would make this space more productive. The vegetables and the room rent(s) might be enough to pay the land tax, or, if I were efficiently productive I'd probably come out ahead. (I'm not a farmer and I don't know how much can be earned from a plot this size.). (I also don't have any experience being a landlord.) (Other natural resource consumption: I use relatively little oil or gas. I don't pollute much. I do use water.) (This plot of land that I'm on is in a town of about 30,000 people and the nearest big city is more than an hour away. Where my land is, it's comfortable living but not wealthy, just sort of suburban-like.) But also:
Under my suggested system, a person who earned money from labor would not pay any taxes on those earnings. If my suggested system had been implemented decades ago before I entered the workforce, I would never have paid any taxes on my earnings from labor (including "labor" from office work, which is mainly what I did).
The reason I would lose monetarily, if my suggested system were implemented suddenly right now, is that I have left my working phase and entered my "accumulated wealth" phase. I don't want to work any more; I just want to enjoy the fruits of my labors. But the government(s) (using its old traditional income tax system) has _already_taken_ a portion of the fruits of my labors (as taxes on my earnings). To have lost _that_ portion, and then suddenly be heavily taxed _again_ for occupying the spacious home (land) that I've earned, might feel unfair, but that's only because of the timing of it, for me personally as an individual. (If the effects on family members of different ages were factored in, it could balance out or be beneficial for the family as a whole.)
People having exclusive use of really large pieces of land (like a whole square mile of land) would have to make them productive or else it wouldn't be worthwhile to hold on to that much land. This is according to the site value of land. If you bought, or got tenure to, a whole square mile of land right in the middle of a city, of course the tax on that land would be very high. But if you bought, or got tenure to, a square mile of land out in the desert, the tax would be much lower -- so low that you might not have to do much to make it productive to make it pay for itself; or maybe it wouldn't be a whole square mile, but still it might be spacious as a living space, out there in the wilderness.
As a whole the system balances the change in land tax with the change in labor earnings tax (depending of course on details such as how much revenue the government needs, and the size of the land or other natural resource tax(es), and the size or total elimination of the labor tax). Young people entering the system would get the balanced system, however those things balance out.
That would not be the point, unless it were assume... (
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I doubt that your system will be instituted within our lifetimes, unless people such as Occasio-Cortez continue their rise and suddenly take over. To me your system punishes success. Economics is about incentives.
At any rate I disagree with you. As far as I can understand your views are based on class envy. Sure, I envy everyone above me on the economic ladder, as I envy those who have perfect children and trophy wives, and are more athletic. Taking from them will not help me.
We must agree to disagree, but tell me where your system is closest to being enacted ? Which nation has a similar program to what you want ? Unless it is being practiced it may be great in theory, but a failure in action.