Taxing land and bequests can reduce wealth inequality
A combination of land and bequest taxes could help close the gap between rich and poor without hampering economic growth, suggests a new study co-authored by the MCC.
Land is of great interest for studying inequality as climate change might increase land prices and thereby affect housing costs. The price increase could be countered by smart taxes that would at the same time reduce overall inequality in a country, and thus help reduce tensions in society that are amplified by populism. “Climate change will likely make land more expensive. Either, unmitigated global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions will expose land to the risk of droughts and floods reducing the area that can be used for agriculture and settlements,” says lead author Max Franks from PIK. “Or, if decision-makers choose to mitigate climate change, land will be used for biomass plantations and wind parks and the like. In either case, land will become scarcer and thus more expensive – and land speculation by investors will drive up housing prices even further.”
“However, additional regulation would be needed to distribute the tax burden fairly”, adds co-author David Klenert from the MCC. “In particular, many middle-class households have a high share of land in their asset portfolio since they own a house and only comparably little financial wealth. To avoid a further tax burden on the middle class, a land value tax allowance could be established. Moreover, regulation would be needed to make sure that landlords do not pass all of the land value tax costs on to their tenants. Still, despite the complexity of both the side-effects of the taxes and the policies needed to limit them, our conclusions are robust.”
A land value tax would have two main effects. First, it would be an incentive for investing money in productive capital, whereas investing in land, and in particular land grabbing, would be less profitable. The rise in productive capital investment would hence directly increase economic output. Second, land value taxes - which are only based on the unimproved value of land, disregarding the value of buildings - would prompt a more efficient use of land. Leaving land vacant would, due to land value taxation, result in the owner losing money; therefore, building apartments, for example, becomes more attractive. This could even help to mitigate housing shortages.
“Interestingly, our analysis finds the greatest positive effects for economic output and wealth inequality reduction if the tax proceeds are used for transfers to the young generations who invest it into better education, found a family, or start a business,” says MCC Director Ottmar Edenhofer, co-author of the study; he is also chief economist and designated director of PIK. “Smart taxing of bequests and land can, thus, help to reduce both intra- and inter-generational wealth inequality.”
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