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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Question reference: S6W-25966

  • Date lodged: 4 March 2024
  • Current status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 March 2024

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it or its agencies have done on modelling for a tax based on land value in Scotland, and whether it will make the outcomes of any such work publicly available.


Answer

In 2017, the Scottish Government asked the Scottish Land Commission to look at the potential for introducing a form of land value based tax in Scotland. One of their key findings was that, although the theoretical case for the introduction of a land value tax is strong, there is a lack of empirical evidence that land value taxes have actually delivered the theoretical benefits attributed to them. They went on to note that to date no country has ever replaced existing taxes on land and property with a single tax and most people today accept that the idea of a single tax is not practical in the 21st century. These findings were published by the Scottish Land Commission in October 2018.

Following the publication of these findings, the Scottish Government has not carried out any further modelling of a land value tax. However, the Scottish Government has continued to engage with academics and stakeholders with an interest in this topic.