Application of the Tax
Land Value Taxation can be applied to any degree, as it has been in over 700 communities worldwide. Most commonly, the tax rate on the assessed value of land is increased, while the tax rate on improvements decreased - often, incrementally over a period of a few years. In some instances, the tax on improvements is eliminated - replaced by the tax on land values alone.
Even the small-step approach has achieved increased real economic activity everywhere it has been applied - EVERY TIME!* Given the state of things in Indiana, I advocate the elimination of all taxes on property improvements as quickly as possible.
Further, I call for the elimination of all other local income and sales taxes - also to be replaced by a single tax on land values.
I will advocate the use of LVT to replace and eliminate state income and sales taxes as well. In other words, let us stop taxing the productive individual behaviors that benefit everyone, and tax the value imparted to land by the community that benefits only certain individuals.
*Steven Cord has researched well over two hundred studies conducted in communities that have switched from equal taxation of land and improvements to at least an increased rate of taxation on land over the rate of taxation on improvements. Every study showed an increase in economic activity in communities adopting LVT. Every study that compared LVT communities to similar non-LVT communities showed that the LVT communities had a greater rate of economic growth. See "Steven Cord" on the Links page.