Geolibertarianism
"Geoism is a theory of economic justice and efficiency. Justice is implemented by having each person keep his whole earnings and getting a share of the benefits from nature. Efficiency is obtained by not imposing arbitrary costs and restrictions on human action. The market tends to provide community services the geoist way, while governments tend to restrict and impose costs on human action. Geoism is therefore in accord with liberty, and is the philosophy best suited to a society free of state oppression and tyranny."
Geolibertarianism, shortened to Geolib, is an economically center-right to right-wing, culturally variable, and anti-authoritarian political ideology that believes in an untampered free market with a singular land-value tax. Geolibertarians state that all land property and raw natural resources; assets that qualify as land by an economic definition are scarce and rivalrous goods considered as common (or unowned) property. It still takes a lot from georgism, however, supports many forms of Pigouvian taxes, severance taxes, and compensatory fees.
History
Beliefs
Geolibertarians maintain that geographical space and raw natural resources—any assets that qualify as land by economic definition—are rivalrous goods to be considered common property, or more accurately unowned, which all individuals share an equal human right to access, not capital wealth to be privatized fully and absolutely. Therefore, landholders ought to pay taxes according to the rental value set by the free market, absent any improvements, to the community for the civil right of usufruct (legally recognized exclusive possession with restrictions on property abuse). Ideally, the taxing of a site would be administered only after it has been determined that the privately captured economic rent from the land exceeds the titleholder's equal share of total land value in the jurisdiction.
On this proposal, rent is collected not for the mere occupancy or use of land, as neither the community nor the state rightfully owns the commons, but rather as an objectively assessed indemnity due for the legal right to exclude others from that land. Some geolibertarians also support Pigovian taxes on pollution and severance taxes to regulate natural resource depletion and compensatory fees with ancillary positive environmental effects on activities that negatively impact land values. They take the standard right-libertarian position that each individual is naturally entitled to the fruits of their labor as exclusive private property as opposed to produced goods being owned collectively by society or by the government acting to represent society, and that a person's "labor, wages, and the products of labor" should not be taxed. Along with non-Georgists in the libertarian movement, they also advocate the law of equal liberty, supporting "full civil liberties, with no crimes unless there are victims who have been invaded."
Property
In continuity with the classical economic and liberal traditions, geolibertarians contend that land is an independent factor of production, is the common inheritance of all humanity, and that the justice of private property is derived from an individual's right to the fruits of his or her labor. Since land, by economic definition, is not the product of human labor, its ownership cannot be justified by appealing to natural human rights. Geolibertarians recognize the individual civil right to secure exclusive possession of the land only on the condition that if the land has accrued economic rent, its full rental value be paid to the community deprived of equal access. It is argued that this non-distortionary system of taxation has the effects of returning the value that belongs to all members of society and encouraging landholders to use only as much land as they need, leaving unneeded land for others to occupy, use, and develop.
A succinct summary of the geolibertarian philosophy is Thomas Paine's assertion in his 1797 pamphlet Agrarian Justice: "Men did not make the earth. The value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds". On the other hand, John Locke wrote that private land ownership should be praised as long as its product was not left to spoil and there was "enough, and as good left in common for others." When this Lockean proviso is violated, the land earns rental value. Some geolibertarians argue that "enough, and as good left" is a practical impossibility in a city where location is paramount. This implies that Locke's proviso requires the collection and equal distribution of ground rent in any urban social environment. Geolibertarians sometimes dispute the received interpretation of Locke's homestead principle outlined in his Second Treatise of Government as concerning the justice of initial acquisition of property in land, opting instead for a view ostensibly more compatible with the proviso which considers Locke to be describing the process by which property is created from land through the application of labor.
This strict definition of private property as the fruit of a person's labor leads geolibertarians to advocate free markets in capital goods, consumer goods, and services and protect workers' rights to their entire earnings.
Policy
Geolibertarians generally support allocating land rent from private landholders to all community members through a land value tax proposed by Henry George and others before him.
Geolibertarians desire to see the revenue from land value capture cover only necessary administrative costs and fund only those public services that are essential for a governing body to secure and enforce rights to life, liberty, and estate—civic protections that increase the aggregate land rent within the jurisdiction and thereby serve to finance themselves—the surplus being equally distributed as an unconditional dividend to each citizen. Thus, the value of the land is returned to the residents who produce it but who, by practical necessity and legal privilege, have been deprived of equal access while the poor and disadvantaged benefit from a reliable social safety net unencumbered by bureaucracy or intrusive means-testing. Some geolibertarians claim that taxing land values justifies a complementary pollution tax for degrading the shared value of the natural commons. The standard and inelastic character of the radio wave spectrum (which also falls under land as an economic category) is understood to justify the taxation of its exclusive use.
How To Draw
Despite being libertarian, Geolibertarianism does not follow the common trend of having the Gadsden-flag.
- Draw a ball
- Fill a it with dark green
- Draw a 4-squared diamond in pure white
- Draw the eyes
and you are done!
| Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Green | #426A07 | rgb(66, 106, 7) | |
| White | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
Relationships
Friends
Geoanarchism - My even more uncompromising brother. While I appreciate the sentiment I don't quite understand the logistics of how he would implement a system such as land value tax without any kind of government.
Georgism - Hi Dad! We pretty much agree on everything, but I think the government should mind its own damn business! With the exception of a land value tax of course.
Libertarianism - Hi other dad! We also pretty much agree on everything, but speculating land is not a useful service. Plus, LVT has no deadweight loss!
Minarchism - So you want a small state? Cool, LVT would be really helpful in funding it!
Green Libertarianism - Ok here's a thought, what if we like, taxed the land.
Environmentalism - The exploitation of natural resources should be taxed by the exploiter, for preventing others from having access to those materials. After all, It's not like anybody made the ground we stand on.
Anarcho-Frontierism - See you later, space cowboy.
Chicago School - Thanks for supporting me Friedman!
Eco-Anarchism - We both like environmentalism and freedom but you are slightly too extreme. If you took the LVT pill you would be based.
Frenemies
Social Georgism - I'm not keen on that whole "welfare" thing; the land value tax should be used to maintain the bare minimum government, any other taxes are pretty much theft.
Social Libertarianism - You're just like social georgism, but with less focus on the LVT. Still better than the statists.
Paleolibertarianism - My brother and I agree economically a lot. But we tend to diverge a bit culturally.
Anarcho-Capitalism - Land speculation is kind of cringe bro ngl. Plus, exploitation of land without compensation to others is a violation of the NAP
Libertarian Socialism - You are not too bad considering you like nationalizing land but socialism goes against libertarianism. If you stay clear you are okay with me.
Democratic Confederalism - We both like environmentalism and nationalizing land but we are very different with other issues.
Welfarism - I do not believe in funding welfare, but LVT is a good way of funding it.
Enemies
Marxism - The only thing we share in common is our disdain for landlords.
Marxism–Leninism - I would rather live with a landlord than you!
Hoppeanism - If communists aren't people, then neither are landlords.
Timocracy - Horrible system!
Further Information
Wikipedia
Literature
- Libertarian Party at Sea on Land by Harold Kyriazi
- Geo-Rent: A Plea to Public Economists by Fred Foldvary
Videos and Misc. Sources
Gallery
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Alt design
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