Labour MPs and campaigners have called for the introduction of Land Value Tax after new data suggested half of England's land is owned by less than 1% of the population.
The findings, unveiled in a new book called 'Who Owns England?', suggest that about 25,000 landowners have control of half of the country's land.
Guy Shrubsole, author of the book, said ownership is 'astonishingly unequal, heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite.'
Major landowners include the Queen, James Dyson, the Duke of Buccleuch, and numerous grouse moor estates.
Labour MPs and Green campaigners have used the statistics to call for the introduction of Land Value Tax, which is paid by landowners on the unimproved rental value of their land.
Don't let anyone tell you our country doesn't need radical change.https://t.co/tqRan8TsQy
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 17, 2019
Half of England is owned by less than 1% of its population. This level of inequality is nothing less than obscene.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 18, 2019
We need radical solutions to spread the wealth that comes with land more evenly - starting with a Land Value Tax.https://t.co/fml7gXLZmm
More evidence that to fix Britain we must redistribute not just wealth but ownership & power too
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) April 18, 2019
We need Green policies like land value tax & wealth tax, plus replace House of Lords - land owners shouldn’t have say over laws that protect their privilege https://t.co/VeVfs7MBIz
But the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned that by imposing any new land tax on agricultural land 'would simply increase the cost of UK food production with no benefit for shoppers'.
In 2017's Labour's manifesto, the party pledged a review into reforming council tax and business rates and consider new options such as a land value tax, to ensure local government had sustainable funding for the long term.'
Concerns were raised after analysis of the plans, dubbed the garden tax, would eventually be based on three per cent of the value of land for each property.
However, a Labour spokesman dismissed the claims as 'desperate nonsense from the Tories'.
The manifesto contained no details about how the tax would be applied.
