John Kay: A progressive business tax in UK, based on £ rent per square foot of space?

Sir, I read with much interest John Kay’s “A nation of shopkeepers in need of new ideas on tax” October 14.

Might he have a progressive business tax, based on £ rent per square foot of space, in mind?

In a way that would help to correct for inequalities derived from unequal growth rates around the country.

In a way that would help to correct for instances the inequalities derived from QEs and similar liquidity injections that tend to benefit more some assets than other.

When I studied to obtain a real estate sales and mortgage advisor license in Maryland US, primarily interested into getting to know more about how the subprime disaster had happened, I was surprised to see that the Federal Housing Administration, FHA, would guarantee a one family mortgage in Montgomery County, Maryland for $625,500, while for instance only US$ 271.000 if that home was in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Can you imagine if a Eurozone FHA did the same in the case of Berlin and Athens?

That is another example of how authorities, instead of remaining neutral, reinforce market perceptions and valuations.

@PerKurowski ©  J