My Nonprofit Reviews
Jack R Jones
Review for Center for the Study of Economics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
The Center for the Study of Economics is definitely an organization where so few do so much for so many. The average citizen benefits continually from the tax reforms that CSE assists in accomplishing by way of the Land Value Tax, which to my mind is really a user fee for natural resources. As a government revenue source, this user fee is the best way to eliminate the diseconomies of income, sales, improvement, and other taxes on production. It is very compatible with Smart Growth objectives for city and country, and would achieve them mostly through the change in economic incentive. That incentive is very good with its Goldie Locks effect, one cannot pick up their land and run with it to where taxes are lower. In order to reduce the relative financial burden, one has to take the land to its highest and best use at that economic location…and here comes Goldie Locks, if it is taken to a higher than best use there is a financial burden in lost profit for a business poorly located or the extra cost transportation and such for the home owner. This is the message along with contact information for The Center for the Study of Economics that I pass on to politicians, ecologists, teachers, et cetera that I meet here and there.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
In my own interest in Social Ecology and the Libertarian party outreach to the ""left" I have done considerable research for this outreach and have seen numerous results for towns similar to the benefits of Land Value Taxation for Harrisburg PA. The concept of land use fee or natural resource fee has always come through as a good idea no matter what mental thought exercise in the flaws of nature I put to it for the test.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
More funding is one help that is needed. I feel that a little broader presentation as to the benefit of tax/user fee of natural resources and not just land would help the public understand better. Linking up with other groups that user fees would help reach their goals, such as Smart Growth, Anti-Sprawl, and Family Agriculture groups could get some synergy. In Maryland a similar coalition of the Libertarians, Greens, and Contitutionalists got a better third party access to the ballot.
