No property is free to own, at least in the USA. All property owes tax to the state, and 99% of dwelling units needs utilities and upkeep
Comment on Rent is theft
FunkyStuff@lemmy.ml 1 day agoWhen someone rents that apartment and they pay the landlord rent, the landlord is making money without working. The landlord isn’t actually providing any value or service, they’re only refraining from using the state to remove the person living in their property because that person is paying them.
If a person were to occupy the property without that landlord’s consent or awareness, it would cost the landlord literally €0.
Is there any reason why this landlord ought to receive payment for providing 0 value? Let alone enough payment to fully finance the property over the course of a couple of decades, during which time the tenants are effectively paying for the landlord’s mortgage without receiving any stake themselves.
brownsugga@lemmy.world 1 day ago
FunkyStuff@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Say you pass down all the recurring costs (I said damage in my comment above but sure, include utilities and upkeep too) to the tenant.
As for property taxes, consider that the purpose of property taxes is to slow down the rate at which the owners of land accrue wealth. Without them, there is no friction on land speculation, and landownership becomes too attractive as a source of income, which impedes the flow of capital to industry. This means that (in theory) property taxes correspond to appreciation of land. This means that paying property taxes on property ought to fall on the owner because they’re the ones that benefit from the appreciation anyway.
If you disagree with that, then say you pass down the property taxes to the tenant as well.
In total, you’d be making 0 profit, with some debate on the subject of the appreciation of the home. This situation is more or less fair. Any profit that you would be making is what comes out of appropriating surplus value, that was my point.
MadBits@europe.pub 1 day ago
I’m sorry but I myself bought my first property and I’m looking forward to buy a second one (a studio) as we plan to have children, that studio will be rented out for 10+ years. Bought paid with cash from my own business after working my in factories for many years. Property on which I’m paying taxes nonetheless and I’m paying taxes on the rent that I will charge as well. Where’s the theft on my part in this situation? The fact that I managed to earn some money and locked it in a property for my future generations? The fuck.
FunkyStuff@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
When you rent it out, will the rent be less than or equal to the sum of the depreciation of the property and the maintenance?
If not, if you will be making a profit. You’ll pay taxes for the property that are intended to make up for the value the property is gaining^[If it doesn’t gain value then you can run the numbers again allowing yourself to pass down the taxes to the tenants.] That surplus amount corresponds to no actual value. The tenants would be paying for nothing, and you’d be getting money for doing nothing.
Whether that’s theft or not depends on your definition of theft. I personally subscribe to the idea that if someone get an euro that they didn’t work for, that’s an euro someone else worked for and didn’t get to keep. I don’t believe this situation to be different from if you were to buy a stake in your local grocery chain which is making money out of putting commodities on the market which have in them the objectified human labor of everyone in the supply chain, and paying those people less for their labor power than what it’s worth. The common term for that is “exploitation.”
I also don’t mean to make this a moral judgment. I don’t know if you’re gonna go to heaven or not, that’s really not the crux of the issue here. I’m trying to give you an analysis of the economic forces at play, and if you ask me, the solution to the problem isn’t for individuals to change how they behave on an individual level, it’s for the working class to seize political power and abolish private property.
FarmTaco@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Receiving payment for living space is the same as slave labor, that’s a pretty wild take.
FunkyStuff@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
If the payment received exceeds the costs a profit is generated. That profit represents appropriation of surplus value. Surplus value corresponds to the uncompensated (or in this case, compensated but later misappropriated) expense of labor power.
What specific part of this argument do you think is objectionable?
MadBits@europe.pub 1 day ago
Mate, you’re talking an awful lot but still not prove how its theft for me to rent a property I own and I bought and I pay taxes for? I’m not forcing you to live in my fucking studio apartment, its a service. An accommodation. I’m not stopping you from buying your own.
FunkyStuff@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
I can’t answer that question unless you answer mine. The answer is contingent on the rate at which you rent it out.