Sanjay says:
"I moved closer to my previous place of work in Central London, from a place
much further away although I have to pay a ludicrous (studio) flat rent of
nearly 1800 USD"

Some of that rental payment is rightly for the building itself (i.e. a
man-made structure). This cost would be almost the same wherever the flat is
located in the UK. The rest (the greater part) is for the location value in
Central London. Land itself is not man-made and not created by labour and
capital and so this location value is not created by any one individual -
and certainly not by the landowner. Location value is created by Mother
Nature and the whole community through their everyday activities.

If we had an Annual Land Value Tax on all sites, so that this location value
were collected for the public purse, Sanjay's other taxes could be reduced,
(less income tax, national insurance, vat-sales tax etc.) and there would be
more money to improve the Underground service he complains about (more
staff, better frequencies, air conditioning etc.).

Speculators would not be able to hold onto empty, idle land and make a
profit - they would only hold land and pay the Annual Land Value Tax if they
could use it profitably and thus create more homes, more business premises,
more leisure uses etc.

See www.LabourLand.org <http://www.labourland.org/>


2008/7/23 Sanjay Rana <[log in to unmask]>:

> An interesting topic; certainly from a sociology point of view.
>
> I think you would find various aspects to look at in this topic e.g.
> cultural differences, big city vs small city differences, mode of transport
> differences, gender differences, amongst many others.
>
> Here's one sample for your experiment based on my personal experience.
>
> It sort of relates to one of the main reasons I moved closer to my previous
> place of work in Central London, from a place much further away although I
> have to pay a ludicrous (studio) flat rent of nearly 1800 USD,  and high
> utilities cost.
>
> Being closer to work, allowed me to walk to work (my ideal scenario) and
> more time at both work and at home. I noticed a distinct improvement in my
> productivity and general well being following the shift.
>
> Prior to this, I did most of my journeys on the London Underground train
> (about 30-35 mins on a good day) since the bus used to take at least 1 hour
> on a good day and was occasionally unreliable; specially during bad weather
> and at night.
>
> To be frank, I didn't enjoy the experience of traveling on the underground
> train for several reasons. I found it to be unhealthy, socially mute, dull,
> and too expensive.  I would have liked to have taken the bus since it
> provides the window to the passing world, sufficient natural air and a
> little more scope for interaction with fellow passengers.
>
> I agreed with someone, who once told me that the people on the underground
> trains are not people but mere static images with their fixed expressions.
> The stations and trains are cramped (I think I am correct in stating that
> London Underground is one of the few organizations that are exempt from
> including accessible features), poorly air conditioned, and too noisy. It
> was dreadful really.
>
> But, I think most people would have felt the same, and thus we know why
> some
> of them would have liked to drive to work etc. rather than take the
> underground train. In other words, you could also into the consequences of
> the experiences of the passengers.
>
> My experience on overland train is relatively better.
>



-- 
Best Wishes,

Dave

Dave Wetzel – Consultant
"Transforming Communities"
Sustainable Transport Policies ▪ Public Finance with Social Inclusion ▪
Affordable Housing ▪ Economic Land Policies with Justice

Tel: 0208 568 9004
Intl:+44 208 568 9004

Mobile/Cellphone: 07715 32 29 26
Intl: +44 7715 32 29 26

e-mail: [log in to unmask]

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