The State Governments would find, if they imposed land charges plus the mooted resource and "carbon" tax, that there would be no need to financially starve hospitals until people die awaiting treatment, and expect old ex-taxpayers to pay a second time for their hostel and nursing home beds. Land values increase as a result of government and the community providing infrastructure such as roads, rail, etc., and a defence and legal framework and the like. The increase in land prices is largely because of these community actions, and therefore some or most of these increases ought to be distributed to the community, not find its way as windfall profits into private hands. -- Georgist Education Association Inc, in The Australian Financial Review

By GEORGIST EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
in The Australian Financial Review, May 20 1998
77 79
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She claims that the States are responsible for more than 40 per cent of all outlays but collect less than 20 per cent of all revenues.

The area where the States derive a large proportion of their revenue is from payroll tax but as this tax, like a sales tax or GST, is a penalty on production, the States have progressively increased the threshhold so that only the large employers are now contributors.

The power to tax land was ceded by the Menzies Government to the States in 1954, and although recently the NSW Government started charging land tax on high value private dwellings, this source of revenue is not being fully utilised.

The imposition of a land charge, unlike other taxes, has the effect of halting the escalation in land values. The higher the land charge, the lower will be the price of a given block of land to present and future generations.

Land values increase as a result of government and the community providing infrastructure such as roads, rail, etc., and a defence and legal framework and the like.

The increase in land prices is largely because of these community actions, and therefore some or most of these increases ought to be distributed to the community, not find its way as windfall profits into private hands.

The State Governments would find, if they imposed land charges plus the mooted resource and "carbon" tax, that there would be no need to financially starve hospitals until people die awaiting treatment and expect old ex-taxpayers to pay a second time for their hostel and nursing home beds.

John Massam,
president,
Georgist Education
Association (Inc),
South Perth, WA.