Literally and metaphorically, land underlies our lives, but its ownership and control have been captured by a tiny number of people. Capital gains tax is lower than income tax, and council tax is proportionately more expensive for the poor than for the rich. To help stabilise land prices and make homes more affordable, we propose a new body, called the Common Ground Trust. We would like to use part of the Land Registry’s vast surplus to help community land trusts buy rural land for farming, forestry, conservation and rewilding. And we want to transform the public’s right to know, by ensuring that all information about land ownership, subsidies and planning is published freely as open data.

Source: The Guardian June 04, 2019 05:00 UTC