this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
375 points (98.2% liked)

Comic Strips

12206 readers
1609 users here now

Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.

The rules are simple:

Web of links

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I think most states have some form of inheritance or estate tax, so the foundation is already there. Picketty would argue for a much larger estate tax, I’m sure, but this is, as you allude to, politically untenable. However Texas has an excellent alternative: land value tax. So much wealth is tied up in property. This tax not only targets the wealthy, but disincentivises land banking and property as a primary investment mode. This keeps property prices and rents lower, which is a huge win for the poor in modern Western nations. It’s not a panacea, but I think it’s a viable and proven alternative.