The Human Capacity March 2020: a Property Growth Tax

The first issue of "The human capacity" - magazine for imagination - delves into the new book by Thomas Piketty "Capital and ideology" that was published in Dutch this month. In the last chapter, the writer gives a political outline of the innovations needed to reduce inequality in Europe. The contours of this sketch are further elaborated in a manifesto co-written by Thomas Piketty and published on the website www.tdem.eu. More than 100,000 people have now expressed their support by signing the manifesto. It is unclear whether this manifesto will also be continued in the form of a new social movement or a political party.

 The manifesto consists of two parts: a new treaty of Europe and a new budget and taxes for Europe. The new treaty states that the participating countries of Europe, not necessarily all EU Member States, will form a new European Assembly, alongside the European Parliament, which will include national parliamentarians. The meeting will receive a new budget obtained from 4 new European taxes that are additional to the national tax systems. Spending the budget is aimed at reducing inequalities in Europe, in particular stimulating education. The four new taxes are a progressive income tax and a progressive property tax for individuals and a CO2 tax for companies and an additional tax for large companies. The ideas are daring, innovative and stimulating, but they also seem to be inspired to dovetail well with the reality of European practice. Partly because of this, they lack the power of imagination. And partly because of this, they also carry the seed for failure. More is needed to truly renew Europe. A vision that goes deeper into the structures of our societies; that give new hope and inspiration. In the coming numbers I will "amend" his ideas. The first amendment "the property growth tax" will be the subject of this first issue.

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