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0 pointsjampekka2y ago0 comments

Is land tax really more propaganda resistent? There are justified concerns that it does disproportionally affect the less well off. And OTOH things like taxing wealth and capital gains are wildly popular.

Isn't class conflict a direct and inevitable result of private ownership of capital? What kind of arrangement makes companies pay more for labor than they have to?

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jjoonathan2y ago

> Is land tax really more propaganda resistent?

Yes. Capital interests have spent the last 50 years laying minefields around the concepts of socialism. "Socialism is when more taxes," "socialism is when unions stop your employer from paying you more than your lazy coworker," "socialism is when you own nothing (as in property, not just assets)." Focusing on small, concrete reforms allow you to navigate around the mines.

> Isn't class conflict a direct and inevitable result of private ownership of capital?

No, it depends on the terms of ownership. Finite terms and progressive taxation can prevent the exponential runaway that establishes and perpetuates class structures.

> What kind of arrangement makes companies pay more for labor than they have to?

Policy that makes labor less desperate and therefore have higher bargaining power. There are many levers to pull.

jampekkaOP2y ago

I agree that such smaller reforms are needed (and what we have need to be defended) but "clearing the name" of socialism can and should be done simultaneously. Also depends on country and audience how bad or good the socialism label is.

Also at least here in Finland land tax is more a center-right thing, and falls under the general umbrella of "neutral taxation", which in practice is usually a dog whistle for flat or regressive taxes.

> No, it depends on the terms of ownership. Finite terms and progressive taxation can prevent the exponential runaway that establishes and perpetuates class structures. > Policy that makes labor less desperate and therefore have higher bargaining power. There are many levers to pull.

Pedantically there's class conflict whenever there are classes that have conflicting interests (e.g. workers want more pay but owners want to pay less). But yes, its effects can be reduced with various policies.

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