Action on Billionaire's Row...finally?
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Scott Baker
Dec 4, 2014, 3:54:00 AM12/4/14
to Common Ground NYC, Alanna Hartzok, Ted Gwartney, Edward Dodson, Jacob Shwartz-Lucas, Josh Vincent
Hello Common Groundlings (and friends)!
This is an important topical 23-minute piece on Bill Moyers show:
This is a Great show!
It shows everything I had in my presentation given three times at the HGS, including last July in the Social Studies class.
I
had commented on this months ago in response to another Moyers' show,
and given the same specific examples, it wouldn't surprise if my little video presentation helped inspire this segment, though the
Central Park shadows issue is new and of course, the production values are much
higher.
You can see my latest presentation here: OpEdNews Diary: Case Studies in New York City Property Development Presented to the Henry George School
The
problem is all this protest should have been done BEFORE the buildings
were approved and built. Now it is much tougher to go backwards to
collect the Land Rent.
We have a lot of "ground" to make up. But, at least we are getting close to MS media recognition now.
A Land Value Tax is just the beginning, unfortunately. Things have gotten way out of hand, with non-resident billionaire owners absent 10 months a year and paying NO income tax either because they don't live here!
State Senator
Brad Hoynman is trying to pass a pied-a-terre tax, but even if it passes
- a very big if in this Real Estate-dominated city - it would only put a
tax on multimillion dollar apartments amounting to about half what
London taxes, and London isn't exactly land-owner unfriendly either.
One
interesting finding, which I hadn't had before, is this figure as
quoted by (my) Senator Liz Krueger (whom I and Rita, or just me, have
discussed this issue with or supplied data for, several times now).
From the Moyers' show transcript:
NEW YORK STATE SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER: An example in a
recent news story was a $90 million, 13,554 square foot penthouse and
with 421a exemption allowed in this bill, their taxes per year would be
$20,000. If they were not rolled into this legislation their taxes would
be $230,000.
BILL MOYERS: Let’s hear that again.
NEW YORK STATE SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER: Their taxes per year would be $20,000. If they were not rolled into this legislation their taxes would be $230,000.
We have supported these measures and/or met with both of them in the past, but of course, they need our support now more than ever. See the petition we set up for Senator Hoylman, letting him know as well: New York Governor: Assess high value property using a reasonable comparative If we get more than a hundred signatures, I'll see if I can present them to him as support...a thousand would be even better.
There is some more progress. From the Wall Street Journal: "City Hall is considering a plan to raise the tax on top-priced apartment
sales and direct the additional money to affordable housing. The bill
would require the approval of the state Legislature, and it's unclear
how much backing it has from Mayor Bill de Blasio. Some developers say
it would be discriminatory and an unreliable way to raise revenue,
though others support it." [The Wall Street Journal] (behind a paywall)
Holiday Plans
We haven't met this Fiscal Year so far, and we do need to hold at least one meeting as a group. So, even though members are out of town, busy, or thinking of Sugar-Plum Georgists, please mark your calendar for Saturday, December 27, from 5:00-9:00pm. There will be food and a surprise gift for all who attend too.
Please RSVP!
I've invited some non-members in this email to our annual holiday get-together, but there will be time and opportunity to break into members-only groups if we need to. Please let me know if you have agenda items you want to see covered at this official CGNYC meeting.
Future Plans
I've attached the CGNYC application to this email for current and potential future members (including those eligible on this email). You have to live in the metro area, though that is somewhat elastic as we have members from Maine to Delaware. New applicants will have to pass a membership committee, though I don't see anyone this email is addressed to having any problems with that.
More importantly, however, is the question of where the group should be going. Rita and I have about exhausted the roster of local politicians, visiting some of them more than once. We will continue to make the case known as opportunity permits, but even in this relatively favorable climate, it's a tough battle to sway opinion in this ever-more Real Estate/banker-friendly city. I had thought de Blasio would be more aggressive in taxing vacant land, but there have been no specific steps, just rhetorical support for that since he took office, and it seems he is if anything even more committed to tax-abating luxury towers than his predecessor, albeit with higher requirements for subsidizing "affordable" housing at higher rates than Bloomberg did. China is actually making more progress: OpEdNews Article: China shifts taxes to Land
I do have some other ideas which I hope to talk about at the meeting/party, but these are still in "formation" stages.
Let me know if you have other steps you think we ought to be taking.
Until next time, Happy Landings...
Scott Baker - President: Common Ground - NYC; NY State Coordinator, Public Banking Institute; Opednews Blogger/Senior Editor; Huffington Post Blogger; Author
Video Appearances & Slideshows here:
http://newthinking.blogspot.com/
Petitions:
-- Commemorate President Lincoln's Assassination with 1 Billion Debt-Free Lincoln $5 Bills
-- Replace Property Tax with Ground Rent in New York State
-- Assess NYC buildings using comparative properties
-- California Dreaming: Set up a State Bank with abundant CAFR funds
-- Complete the East Side Manhattan Greenway from 38-61 Streets and save bikers, help the environment, and clear up traffic
-- Tax Vacant & Unused Land to Return its value to the Community
-- Close New York State's budget Gap with money from its own agencies by setting up a State Bank
-- Defend the Clean Air Act
-- Produce debt-free United States Notes
-- Reclassify the FED's account, from private to public
Scott Baker
Dec 19, 2014, 9:42:57 AM12/19/14
to Common Ground NYC, Alanna Hartzok, Ted Gwartney, Edward Dodson, Jacob Shwartz-Lucas, Josh Vincent
Just a quick update before our party/meeting on December 27th because it turns out some people didn't receive the last update. We will have our annual meeting/party - open to select non-member invitees too - on December 27, at 5:00 at Rita's place - 415 E. 52 street, NYC NY.
Also, the red-hot Manhattan high-end market may be about to cool, not for the obvious reasons. But turning some of those foreign-owned apartments over to people who will actually live in them and not use them as "Stash Pads" (as New York Magazine dubbed these multimillion dollar apartments), is a good idea, whatever the reason. I left a comment:
Putin’s Bubble Bursts
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