Madam, - If Minister for Finance Brian Cowen is facing a shortfall in the amount of money needed for next year's budget, he could do well to seek extra revenue from one of the biggest untapped sources - land.
Anybody who possesses land, be it in urban or rural location, should pay a tax on its value, excluding private improvements, according to the volume of public utilities the land receives.
After all, it is we as a society who spend our money upgrading and creating new amenities, services and infrastructures, along with rezonings and planning permissions that raise the value of land in the first place. Therefore it is only right that the Government should capture this value.
This could translate into immediate improvements in the economy, employment, industry, the social fabric, planning and the environment. - Yours, etc,
ANDREW SMITH, Kinnegad, Co Westmeath.