Definition of the Georgian threshold

The Georgian threshold is the point at which the rental income from properties held by an individual exceeds their personal cost of living. At this point they no longer have a requirement to work themselves they can rely on their investment assets supporting them. If the Georgian threshold is positive we can live without working.

The only job safe from technology is farming

Farming is the only job safe from technology because we are able to produce our own food. If we can produce our own food we can survive without external employment. If we are not a farmer we are vulnerable to technology.

A definition of land slavery

Definition of land slavery: A person is a land slave if they do not have sufficient land to produce their own food.

Georgism is a conservative philosophy

Georgism (or even geolibertarianism) is a political philosophy which is entirely consistent with conservatism. Georgism is concerned with extracting the best possible use from natural resources which is a conservative idea. If Georgism is not conservative then conservatism is not concerned with the best use of the land and is therefore wasteful and negligent. Conservatives are Georgists even if they do not realise it.

The tragedy of the commons applies everywhere

‘The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen.’

All resources are limited... the whole world is common so the tragedy of the commons applies everywhere.

If individual people are greedy and take too much this will always be to the detriment of the group. Whilst it cannot be consumed or depleted... land is a shared limited resource which must be used (claimed) with reservation and with deference to the group. Just because a resource is not given freely (common) and instead is owned privately doesn’t mean the tragedy of the commons doesn’t apply. The tragedy exists for all assets. We must be considerate of our neighbours both in the private market and the public market.

The tragedy of the commons applies not only to the commons.

Imposing a tax on buildings makes no sense

The mansion tax is a tax on an asset rather than labour so in that respect it is similar to a land tax. However the important difference is that land ownership is equally inconvenient to us whether or not there is a house on it. We are penalising something which has no negative impact on other people.

A land value tax on the other hand makes more sense because we are indifferent to whether there is a house on the land... in either case we have no right of access. Land ownership is a cost to everyone but the property owner. For this reason it makes sense to impose a tax on land not on buildings.

The land value ceiling: an explanation of how it works

The land value ceiling is a limit imposed by the government on personal land ownership. Under this rule no individual is able to own an amount of land in excess of the land value ceiling. Anyone violating this rule by owning an excess of land will be asked to either give it away or to sell the land. If they do not do so measures will be taken to bring them into line including the possibility of the land being confiscated.

It is a quantity of land measured in market value not the physical area of the land.