Hildegarde

the city didn’t do this. No city would build a big parking lot with walls in the middle if it.

Notice how there are 5 separate lots in the block nearest the camera. There are walls between them. This isn’t the municipal government choosing to dedicate an entire block to surface parking. These are 5 separate lots, with 5 separate owners who all decided to use the plots for surface parking. The incentive system is broken.

These are taxpayers. Modern version of the taxpayer building is a surface parking lot. You’ll see them everywhere, weirdly small awkwardly proportioned paid parking lots in cities. It happens everywhere. Same incentives same result.

Speculators are parasites. Buy an urban lot, wait a decade or two for the city to grow around it and then sell to get a paycheck from the growth of the city they actively hindered.

The scheme works by paying the minimum property tax, in a cost neutral way. Most cities charge property taxes based on the value of the land plus whatever’s built on it. Demolishing the building reduces the tax bill. Then they rent the vacant lot to a parking company for the cost of the taxes. To the speculator, its a zero risk scheme, to hold a lot for free until its profitable to sell.

Land value only property taxes is the solution. It breaks the scheme and makes surface parking speculation unviable. When these lots have the same tax burden as the functioning buildings around them, wasting the space as a surface lot becomes unaffordable.

Removed by mod

I was not aware that MicroProse still exists. Or at least something with its name.

I’m pretty sure that’s Canada. Speed limit sign is a tell.

A better way of taxing would be without a proxy. Road wear is proportional to vehicle weight and miles driven. That’s why I’m advocating for that.

Taxes are an incentive. Under my proposal being better saves money. Not buying gas lowers your tax. Driving less lowers your tax. Driving a lighter vehicle lowers your tax.

Being bad and driving a heavy, gas powered, car excessive distances becomes unaffordable. As it should.

Big rigs are commercial vehicles. Driving is the work, not the commute. So they are wearing down the roads 8 hours a day, instead of the hour or so of a passenger car.

Long haul trucking only exists because of massive subsidies. Truck registration, tolls, and all other fees should be thousands of times higher than small cars, to be fair and equitable.

If they’re not buying gas they should not be paying gas taxes. That’s the point. Reducing gas consumption is a good thing.

Another state actively disincentivising electric vehicle adoption by charging extra. It is an incredibly stupid policy. All else being equal, electric cars are less bad than gas cars.

Motor vehicles should be taxed based on mileage and weight. If drivers can save money on their taxes by driving a car that is less bad for the environment, that a good thing, and a sign of effective policy.

Its impossible to outearn irresponsible spending