[skookumchuck]

Ideally, taxes should be used to discourage undesirable things, like emitting pollution. Taxes should not be used to discourage productive activity.

We should be taxing pollution, consumption of raw materials, plastics, use of undeveloped land, etc.

[sokoloff]

> Taxes should not be used to discourage productive activity. We should be taxing...use of undeveloped land.

Aren't many (most?) uses of undeveloped land productive? About 100 years ago, someone built the house I'm sitting in. That was a productive activity to transform the use of that land for housing, IMO.

[skookumchuck]

If it's productive enough, it's worthwhile paying the tax. There's only so much undeveloped land, developing it all means destroying our environment.