Feasta member Brian Davey has produced several posters for use at Occupy camps which can be downloaded for free here. They make use of creative graphics in order to explore the nature of the current financial crisis, the energy and banking crises, financial predation, and the connection between the Occupy movements and climate change.
The Irish economy needs stimulus and the most effective way to do this is to implement an immediate jobs program backed by newly issued, low-yield tax-backed Jobs Bonds. This will provide the financing necessary for such a program without adding to Ireland’s already substantial interest burden. [...]
Site Value Tax is a tax policy proposed by Smart Taxes Network. It would be an annual charge on zoned land, based on its market value, which would fund government expenditure and encourage productive and sustainable investment. Smart Taxes have created this brochure to offer a clear and simple explanation of what the tax is, how it works and the benefits it offers.
In this week’s article from Fleeing Vesuvius, Laurence Matthews discusses Cap & Share: a fair, effective, cheap, empowering and simple way to reduce emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. It could form the basis of a wider global climate framework but how realistic is it to call for its introduction?
By Corinna Byrne, from Fleeing Vesuvius. Farming and other land-based activities could do a lot to mitigate global warming. Ireland needs new policies to get its land to absorb CO2 rather than release it. The large amounts of carbon locked up in the country’s peatlands must be safeguarded and damaged bogs restored so that they can sequester carbon again. In addition, the use of biochar could reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions and build up the fertility and carbon content of the soil.
What would happen if, instead of the European Central Bank providing liquidity to private banks in order to ward off financial collapse, it provided funding to mobilise a green workforce to tackle urgent environmental challenges? The salaries would effectively transfuse local economies and the scheme has precedence in the Common Agricutural Policy which already pays farmers to protect the environment. This Irish adaptation of the Job Guarantee developed by Modern Monetary theorists in the US is proposed by Emer O’Siochru in an article on the Smart Taxes Network website.
Some very useful and interesting presentations on all aspects of Environmental Tax Reform. Smart Taxes contributed 3 sessions on Site Value Tax, with presentations from Stephen Reed, Constantin Gurdgiev and Fred Harrison.
The presentations from the Smart Taxes/Tasc Conference are now online. The Conference was a big success, well attended, and achieved significant press coverage, thanks to the excellent work of Tasc.
Most beef farmers in Ireland are losing money. In view of this, some policymakers and commentators think that it would be in the national interest to encourage a lot of them to give up their loss-making hobby and to switch to growing biofuels instead. The Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network is preparing a report which explores this idea and draws some unexpected conclusions, and comments are very welcome.
Richard Douthwaite, co-founder of Feasta and much-loved colleague and friend, died on November 14th 2011 after a long illness. We will miss his unique and far-ranging intellect, the clarity of his thought and writing, his warmth and his laughter. Tributes to him have come in from around the world and you can read them here.
In line with his wishes, we are continuing with our scheduled events and publishing of articles.
Professor Mary Mellor –
Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Northumbria
Chair of the Sustainable Cities Research Institute
Date: Saturday 11th February, 6pm
Venue: Boole 2, UCC, Cork
Date: 17th, 18th & 19th of February, Cloughjordan, Tipperary.
The aim of this weekend conference is to introduce the CSA concept to communities and growers on the island of Ireland. The event will bring together food producers and emerging Irish CSA’s while creating networking and learning opportunities with experienced initiatives from across Europe.
Feasta’s Autumn conference examined measures that this country could adopt to secure its economic future which would not leave it reliant on external factors largely outside of its control. Scenarios explored included the potential collapse of the eurozone. The conference featured prominent international and Irish economists and was aimed at economists, politicians, policy-makers, business people, social partners, and other key decision-makers.
‘Land value tax’ would be fairer, says Mark Drakeford AM Welsh Labour AM Mark Drakeford has given his backing to a “land value tax”. The Cardiff West AM’s championing of the tax comes as the Silk Commission investigates giving the Assembly new fiscal powers. In an article for the Institute of Welsh Affairs, Mr Drakeford [...]
Ronan Lyons’s report on Site Value Tax in Ireland is available for download. The report assesses the obstacles to implementing SVT in Ireland and how these can be overcome. It also assesses the revenue potential of the tax and the distribution of land values in Ireland.
By Philip Pilkington, a journalist and writer living in Dublin, Ireland. Cross posted in Naked Capitalism In 2008 profits in the US economy crashed out. But they soon bounced back. This bounce was largely due to the profits being reaped in the financial sector – which sickened many given that 2008 was in large measure [...]
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