author

Roland K. Roberts

78% of Americans support the control of urban sprawl in land use planning. Rapid land development is associated with loss of farmland and open space, higher costs of infrastructure and community services, roadway congestion, racial segregation, and concentrated poverty. Traditional policies to control urban sprawl can rub against commitments to private property rights. Land value taxation offers an alternative that's amenable to conservatives and progressive alike. In theory, a land value tax encourages compact urban development. The unpopularity of land value taxation in the US flows from two alleged legal obstacles: "uniformity clauses", which require that all taxation be applied evenly within a jurisdiction, and "Dillon's Rule", which implies that municipal corporations owe their origins to, and derive their powers and rights wholly from, the legislature. A land value tax encourages more development around preexisting development, raising urban density and counteracting urban sprawl.
Measuring the Effects of a Land Value Tax on Land Development
Land Value Tax
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