ALTER (Action for Land Taxation & Economic Reform)

Land Value Tax (LVT) is an annual levy on the unimproved value of land, disregarding buildings, personal property, or other improvements. Regarded by economists since the 18th century as an efficient and progressive tax, LVT places the tax burden on titleholders proportionally based on location value, which strongly correlates with overall wealth.

Key Arguments for LVT

Social Justice: Basing taxation on assets rather than income helps reduce inequality. In the UK, where the top 1% own nearly 25% of property, LVT ensures asset owners pay a fairer share compared to income earners.
Infrastructure Financing: LVT captures the location windfall generated by public infrastructure projects (such as high-speed rail lines) directly from the landowners who benefit most, rather than burdening general taxpayers.
Economic Efficiency: Because LVT applies regardless of how productively a plot is used, it penalizes land speculation, empty homes, and run-down sites. This encourages urban regeneration while shifting the overall tax burden away from income, profits, and enterprise.

Key Mechanics & Misconceptions

Plot-Based Value: A vacant plot and a built-on plot of the same size in the same location pay equal tax.
Publicly Derived Value: Location value stems from natural geography or community investments, making it just and efficient to tax.
Green Protection: Contrary to myths that LVT harms green spaces, it promotes urban revitalization—evidenced by cities like New York, where surrounding property tax gains funded Central Park.

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Latest News

Euro think-tank declares LVT is essential for the UK economy

Simon Tilford, of the Centre for Europan Reform, has identified the rigged property market as being the UK's biggest economic distortion, comparable in its damaging effects to the paralyzed labour market of the southern European nations. He idenifies LVT as a major component in fixing this problem, although I'm not sure I would go with him on deregulating the green belts. Still, a thoughtful article, see...

DC

by David Cooper

19 Feb 2013

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Caroline Lucas's Land Tax bill gets its Second chance for a Second Reading on 1 March- ALTER wishes her well!

The Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has tabled a Private Members Bill.... "to require the Secretary of State to commission a programme of research into the merits of replacing the Council Tax and Non-domestic rates in England with an annual levy on the unimproved value of all land, including transitional arrangements"

18 Feb 2013

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Follow ALTER

11 Feb 2013

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George Monbiot supports LVT in Guardian Article

Supportive article in the Guardian from George Monbiot, showing how British society is "parisitised from above" by a wealthy landowning class.

22 Jan 2013

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"The rise of the freeloaders", Prospect Magazine

The respected political monthly Prospect Magazine has published an article by ALTER's secretary David Cooper showing how landowers freeload on the productive part of the economy, diverting £100Bn annually in the UK alone from productive effort into unproductive rent seeking.

5 Dec 2012

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Recent Progress on Land Value Taxation within the UK Government & Liberal Democrat Party

The UK's Coalition Government, formed in May 2010, consists of the centre-right Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, who are generally regarded as 'centrist'. Conservatives outnumber Lib Dems about 5 to 1 in Parliament, however Lib Dems claim that 75% of their manifesto is in the Coalition Agreement, which is the programme for government until 2015.

TVVCALTER

by Tony Vickers, Vice Chair ALTER

14 Nov 2012

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