Talk:Pay for Depleting the Commons/@comment-252647-20130126203915

Comment thread from 2012 brought over from former wiki site:

Taxation of the value of land and natural resoures 100% of which is created by the community of all people is a way to require people to pay for use of "our" commons. The land and natural resorces may have fallen into private hands over the centuries but land value itself is a commons and can be taken back by the community through the taxing power retaine by sovereign states/political jurisdictions who represent t"we the people". This kind of taxation whihc is already part of property taxes everywhere leave title to land and natural resources in private hands but captures comnity created value to fund community. Failure to tax the commons of community created land value leaves land rents in private hands and is thus a wholly unearned income because it is a vlaue not created by the indiviudal who pockets it. It is this practice over the centuries that has given all the incentive there is for privatizing the commons, monopolizing land and natural resoures, creating the disparity of wealth that we now complain of and providing all the incentive needed for abusing the environment for profit. Taxing this value to fund community infrastructure and services while at the same time lowering or eliminating taxation of earned incomes for labor and real capital investment in the real economy not only is the heart of economic justice but and will create the proper economic incentive environment to provide the foundation of a sustainable economy. May 11, 2012 by Wendell fitzgerald

"use" does not equal "depletion". It feels like we have a number of separate but related issues here: •    use (as in rental) which doesn't impact what's available for everyone else (although there may be different fees for different types of enties or use - e.g., for-profit) •    depletion (as in consuming a limited supply) •    pollution (as in degrading the quality of) This item conflates use and depletion. April 5, 2012 by Tomatlee

''   •     Updated--- it still needs further clarification (as in, is it possible to deplete all of:natural, technological, and intellectual foundation that is our common heritage -- or is it just 'natural' that should be in this card? -- focusing on use/rent of nondepletables elsewhere... I feel like it may be that depletion of these other things is happening-- radio bandwidth? But I'm not sure quite what's accurate/appropriate here. I was definitely merging concepts in order to get points across, but muddying it doesn't help. Only enough room for one concept per card that's for sure!   April 27, 2012 by Jatlee''