Advocates of land value taxation say that the city's current tax system penalizes property owners for making improvements to their properties. Switching to land value taxation, which sets a value on the land and does not tax improvements, would give developers and property owners an incentive to build on vacant land or to improve distressed properties, they say. | Joshua Vincent, the executive director of the Henry George Foundation of America and an expert on land value tax, is the guest speaker for a Friends of the Public Library presentation at noon on Wednesday, April 8, at the Central Library. The event is free and open to the public. | Not everyone sees a switch to land value taxation as a happy meal for Rochester. | "I don't see any way it could be implemented any time soon," says City Council member Carolee Conklin. "We have to be very careful because our tax base has stabilized and is actually growing." | Rochester is a fiscally conservative city, Conklin says, and land value taxation would be a radical change to something most people don't fully understand. | Vincent will meet with members of City Council on Thursday, April 9.
Comments for "ECONOMICS: Expert on land value tax to speak" (4)
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LVTfan said on Mar. 31, 2009 at 10:47pm
IF growing the tax base is the goal, Land Value Taxation is likely to be one of the better tools Rochester could choose. It nudges the private sector to do things which benefit the community, and, equally important, to stop doing nothing and waiting for someone else to make their land valuable while they twiddle thumbs. And conversely, it removes the disincentives. Both seem very wise to me.
Rev. Samuel T. Williams said on Apr. 01, 2009 at 3:34pm
To the city of Rochester ! Land Value Taxation is the "Morally Correct
Objective" to pursue.
Nicholas D. Rosen said on Apr. 01, 2009 at 11:08pm
Perhaps Ms. Conklin should come to hear Mr. Vincent speak, and learn more about the subject.
john said on Apr. 03, 2009 at 4:45pm
The last time I owned vacant land in the city, it was taxed at 3X it's assesment, I guess to encourage development. Is this still true?
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