Hugh's Brain

Land Value Tax (LVT)

2 min read

Land Value Tax (LVT)

Note: This is the general LVT overview page. For deeper dives see: canada-housing-land-value-tax (Canadian housing context), vancouver-land-value-tax (Vancouver policy), georgism (philosophical roots).

Compiled Truth

A Land Value Tax (LVT) is a levy on the unimproved value of land, separate from any buildings or improvements on it. The core argument: land value is created by the community (through infrastructure investment, neighbourhood development, zoning) rather than the landowner’s effort, so taxing it captures unearned wealth and reduces speculative land-banking. LVT is favored by economists across the political spectrum for being among the most efficient and least distortionary taxes. [Source: brain, compiled from multiple sources]

Opponents typically use framing that LVT will drive up rents or harm property owners — UBI Works notes this is a scare tactic that obscures LVT’s equity-improving potential (overtaxing labor, undertaxing wealth). [Source: Zoom meeting summary, gmail_id 19eb3023c16f648f, 2026-06-10]

Key Political Actors (as of 2026)

  • Andy Burnham (UK) — Mayor of Greater Manchester; associated with LVT proposal; potential future Labour leader/PM. [Source: Zoom meeting, 2026-06-10]
  • Liam Wilkinson — UBI Works; leads quantitative macro-modeling of LVT incidence in BC. [Source: multiple meeting summaries, 2026]
  • Floyd Marinescu — UBI Works/Commonwealth; public advocate for LVT, gives talks, writes on Canadian housing policy.

Canadian Context

  • Liam Wilkinson’s BC LVT simulation complete (~2-3 weeks vetting as of May 2026). New vulnerability index identifies at-risk households under LVT to inform transitional policy. [Source: meeting 2026-05-27]
  • ~50% of lower-income households may lose under LVT due to high land-to-net-worth ratios (preliminary finding). [Source: meeting 2026-05-26]
  • UBCM resolution being developed around LVT framing.

Timeline

  • 2026-06-10 | Discussed in UBI Works social media meeting — Phil flagged Andy Burnham’s LVT proposal and expected opposition scare tactics. Referenced in 2026-06-10-ubi-works-social-media-ai. [Source: Zoom meeting summary, gmail_id 19eb3023c16f648f, 2026-06-10]

See Also

Graph View

Backlinks