It’s common sense

We warmly welcome Greg Hands’s support for our Campaign for Capitalism on this page, which follows on from the endorsements of Boris Johnson and David Davis, and we urge the Government to pay attention. Mr

Hands says that getting housing right starts with reforming stamp duty, making the point that excessive taxation not only undermines the free market but has profound social consequences. When someone’s family grows or their personal circumstances change, the natural thing to do is move – but if tax puts them off, they’ll stay where they are, jamming up the market. Stamp duty is a tax on social mobility, so why would Conservatives, or for that matter socialists, support it?

Socialism, of course, is the enemy of aspiration and progress. It regards these things as a betrayal of class, for socialism constantly tries to tie the individual to a particular group, locking them into a perpetual war against supposed exploiters. Call its approach redistribution or confiscation, it destroys rather than creates. Yes, injustice exists, but experience shows that the best way to reduce it isn’t by trying to make everyone the same. It’s by expanding opportunity and generating wealth.

The Government has set itself many laudable social goals, but the most tried-and-tested way of achieving them is by reducing state action and expanding the private sector. A great deal of work has been put into intellectualising the achievements of capitalism but, really, it all comes down to common sense. When you offer someone the chance to better themselves, they will generally take it – and when the individual flourishes and creates something with their efforts, the whole of society benefits in turn.