At least land gets one mention! How are people to envisage that the most important commons created resource is not immediately visible or apparent? Land values must be the anchor to this new commons based future. Bryan Kavanagh says Although publicly-generated land rent was $325 billion, we chose to fine labour and capital to the extent of some $285 billion … Read More
Oil Magnates Clean Up on Tax Subsidies
photo credit: cdsessums Daniel Kocieniewski reports in the NY Times on how the US oil industry is using tax havens to avoid repaying the community for the privilege of mining the earth for all it’s worth. Kocieniewski reports that the oil and natural gas industry has spent US $340 million on lobbyists since 2008 for a $4 billion annual saving … Read More
Artists sick of living on borrowed time & borrowed land
The Anti-Gentrification Festival, held in conjunction with Craft Cartel, kicked off on Sunday at The Birmy. Highlights included a talk from Earthsharing’s Karl Fitzgerald about land tax reform, a highly professional lagerphone making workshop directed by Alica Bee (she was colour coordinating the bottle-caps, this lady takes her lagerphone making VERY seriously) and a surprise performance by legendary poet Pi-O. … Read More
Housing Investors Crowd Out Community
photo credit: fMoya With auction numbers at record levels, it seems that the pursuit of the greater fool is well underway. Melbourne’s May auction levels were the highest on record and this coming weekend could see almost double the June average of properties up for sale. Yesterday’s ABS figures on housing lending shows how genuine home buyers are being increasingly … Read More