In the Philippines, wealth is not just earned — it is inherited, often locked up in land passed down through generations. This has led to the rise of economic dynasties that beget political dynasties, where a small elite controls large portions of land and reaps unearned income simply by owning it. A Land Value Tax (LVT) offers a powerful way to disrupt this pattern and open the path to a fairer, more democratic economy.

A Land Value Tax is a levy on the unimproved value of land, regardless of what is built on it. Unlike property taxes, which penalize development, LVT targets the value created by the community — access to roads, schools, markets, and population growth — not by the individual landowner. This makes it both fair and efficient.

Crucially, LVT prevents speculative landholding. When landowners are taxed based on land value, holding land idle becomes expensive. It forces land into productive use or into the hands of those who will use it. This reduces land hoarding — a key strategy by which dynasties accumulate and preserve wealth without contributing to production.

By collecting the rising value of land for public benefit, rather than allowing it to enrich private owners, LVT also shrinks the wealth gap. It undercuts the flow of passive income that fuels elite control and instead channels it into funding services like education, housing, and infrastructure that benefit all.

In Philippine society where political dynasties often rest on inherited land wealth, implementing a Land Value Tax would strike at the roots of entrenched inequality. It would not only generate revenue more fairly — it would begin to dismantle the structures that keep power in the hands of the few.