Pogge's Global Resources Tax? Why not?

[mb7588a]

I ran across this idea in an article by Thomas Pogge from 1994, where he argues that any entity - individual, government, corporation - which takes a resource from the Earth ought to pay a tax to the world government. The goal of this is a global egalitarian principle aimed at stamping out inequality in the world. Since you took something from the Earth and from our shared wealth as inhabitants of this planet, you owe something back. I think it makes a lot of damn sense. It's a wonderful incentive for developing renewable resources! Is there other ideas out there like this?

The problem is, of course, the world government. What is it? Where would it come from? Well, forget that question, Pogge's suggestion is in the framework of Rawls's "Law of Peoples."

The article is “An Egalitarian Law of Peoples” if anyone is interested. (1994, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 195-224).

Sorry no link, it came off of a library page, and I can't copy/paste.

[Skink]

1. I say we tax those evil hybrids instead.

[dcfirefighter]

2. Adam Smith ("Father of Capitalism") said this ...

in Wealth of Nations back in 1776:

"Both ground- rents and the ordinary rent of land are a species of revenue which the owner, in many cases, enjoys without any care or attention of his own. The annual produce of the land and labour of the society, the real wealth and revenue of the great body of the people, might be the same after such a tax as before. Ground-rents, and the ordinary rent of land are, therefore, perhaps the species of revenue which can best bear to have a peculiar tax imposed upon them."

Smith (and many others) divided the factors of production into Labor, Capital, and Land - the physical resources of the earth (and universe) are Land. Science and technology have progressed and expanded the definition of 'Land', but the concept remains the same.

Henry George expounded on the idea quite well in Progress and Poverty about a century later. Today, George's work lives on in the goals of Georgists, geoists, geo-libertarians, earth-sharer's, and the like. Karl Marx referred to George as "the last stand of Capitalism".

IOW, it's a great idea, it's a shame more, especially progressives, don't know more about it.

Note that many of the cities in Australia, and the Netherlands, as well as several municipalities in Pennsylvania, practice a form of Land Value Tax.

[dcfirefighter]

3. Maybe you should repost this in "Economics" nt