Alternative Reason for the Rise in Home Prices

As we track the Irish mortgage market, the soaring prices are blamed much on the shortage in supply alongside a growing demand.

The law of supply and demand dictate much of what happens in the economy and the many financial phenomena in which are seen.

This, being a large reason as to why the supply and demand law is being blamed for much of what is happening in the Irish housing market today.

To do an analysis on what actually caused the flawed market that there is today, it is important to study the market as it was in 2006. The market boom before the bust.

In 2006, home construction was at peak levels, with nearly 90,000 homes built. With a population of just around four million, that is an impressive number for home production to occur.

This, however, is where the law of supply and demand began to become of question.

As homes were on the rise and an increase in supply was seen, prices continued to rise as well. The opposite of what the supply and demand law …

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Newstalk: Pat Kenny & Karl Deeter on housing, dereliction and sites

Pat Kenny spoke to Karl Deeter about some of the huge, but unreported issues in the housing market, such as ‘who owns derelict sites and buildings’ and how regulations can sometimes make it difficult to provide quality housing at affordable prices.

This was an extended segment on something of great national importance that generally doesn’t get a lot of airtime so we were very pleased with Newstalk for the opportunity to work through it and to have the time to describe many of the nuances that would otherwise be overlooked.

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Property tax paying bondholders?

This was something that broke while I was on annual leave, it’s really infuriating to see that the property tax which was meant to be a fresh start for local authorities funding is (for 2013) not going to be given to them.

While a politician will always find a way to wiggle out of being called a liar, it’s pedantic to the extreme to think that the public would have realised that it was only going to local government from 2014 and not from the outset. If that was common knowledge it wouldn’t have made a headline so recently.

Given that this is bad outcome it does have to be balanced, and saying that the money is ‘going to bondholders’ is populist nonsense. If it is in the general expenditure coffer then it could go anywhere, you could equally spin the story that it’s going towards cancer wards in hospitals, that it is going towards supporting the homeless or anything else.

The tragedy here is that on the …

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Talking property tax on WLR FM

We spoke to WLRFM yesterday (sound file here) about some of the contentious issues with a market value based property tax. Using values will ensure that the quantum collected is not strictly linked to any costs associated with running a local authority.

In the past this was a huge problem, it was the reason our last property tax died off, and when it came to domestic rates, it was used as political fodder in the 1977 general election where its repeal swung the election.

There are alternatives, Site or Land value tax and to have the tax linked to costs of a local authority would be far better, but we are instead opting for the path which suits the Government most rather than those who pay it.

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Feasta & Smart Taxes Conference: September 22nd & 23rd

Feasta and the Smart Taxes Network are holding a conference on the 22nd & 23rd of September in the Mont Clare Hotel in Dublin 2. The people who work in Feasta are ideologically diverse (that is one of the things I really like about them!) and a bright bunch, the delivery, debate and data are all sure to be excellent. Hopefully we’ll see some of our readers there! (details below)

It is sure to be a treat, there are great speakers from around the world, to name a few:

Marshall Auerback (Roosevelt Institute Fellow & global portfolio strategist for Madison Street Partners, LLC) Prof. Charles Goodhart (member of the Financial Markets Group at the London School of Economics & former monetary adviser to the Bank of England) Bernard Lietaer (author of ‘The Future of Money’ & international expert in currency systems)

And of course we have our home-side team of heavyweights too! Fergal O’Brien (Chief Economist – IBEC), Richard Douthwaite (Sustainability Economist and Author), Dan …

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TV3 Viewers: The good things about a Site Value tax

We are posting this for viewers of TV3’s ‘The Morning Show’ with Sybil & Martin, it covers some of the main advantages about Site Value Tax.

1. It is widely agreed that we need to spread the tax base to reduce taxes on employment to be replaced by taxes on assets, and to create a less volatile tax base. This can be achieved with Site Value Tax. In terms of ‘fairness’, it is important to remember that only 50% of properties in the country have a mortgage on them, and for that reason there is also taxable capacity in the market for this, in conjunction with a reduction in income taxes.

2. The Site Value Tax currently included in the Four Year Financial Recovery Programme, is such a tax. It applies only to land zoned for development, or already developed.

3. Land is a fixed asset. A high proportion of its value is dependent on its area, its location and its proximity to related infrastructure. Infrastructure which is created via public expenditure but rarely ever re-captured for the value it …

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10 points in favour of Site Value Tax or Land Value Tax

Of the main changes we could consider in the near future from a national taxation perspective, none holds the potential for positive outcomes to the same extent as Land Value Tax (LVT) or Site Value Tax (SVT). Below are several points looking at why this is the case:

1. It is widely agreed that we need to spread the tax base to reduce taxes on employment to be replaced by taxes on assets, and to create a less volatile tax base. This can be achieved with Site Value Tax. In terms of ‘fairness’, it is important to remember that only 50% of properties in the country have a mortgage on them, and for that reason there is also taxable capacity in the market for this, in conjunction with a reduction in income taxes.

2. The Site Value Tax currently included in the Four Year Financial Recovery Programme, is such a tax. It applies only to land zoned for development, or already developed.

3. Land is a fixed asset. A high proportion of its value is dependent on its area, its …

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The importance of Land or Site Value Taxation, Fred Harrison, Karl Deeter and Stephen Reed

Land Value Tax (part1)- Fred Harrison, Karl Deeter and Stephen Reed from Irish Mortgage Brokers on Vimeo.

This is a talk that was given at the School of Philosophy and Economic Science on Wednesday the 27th of October 2010. It covers the reasons for Land or Site Value Taxation being an important aspect of any normal and functioning economy, Fred Harrison gives the economic background, Karl Deeter discusses some of the general societal issues and Stephen Reed relates to his practical experience as a Mayor who used it to regenerate his City.

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Site Value Tax: What is it? How does it work?

I volunteer with a group called Smart Taxes who are a sustainable taxation think tank. This has post is taken from their site (original in link above), and it is well worth reading if you want to hear about the reasoning behind using site value or land value taxation as opposed to ‘property taxation’.

Site Value Tax is a taxation reform included in the Irish government’s current Program for Government. It levies an annual charge on the value of all developed and undeveloped zoned land including the site under every building in residential use.  It does not include un-zoned land i.e. agricultural land, forestry and peat-lands.  It does not include developed commercial property currently subject to local rates but it is expected that SVT will replace commercial rates in due course.  It does however, include land zoned for commercial uses not currently subject to rates.  Research by Smart Taxes and other groups has shown that SVT has clear benefits over other kinds of property taxes from a number of perspectives; macro and micro-economic, environmental and social. …

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