努力被房價收走，亨利．喬治論進步與貧困

 

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台灣在 2026 年新生兒人數確定跌破 10 萬人，十年來出生人口數幾乎打對折。另一方面，台北市中山商圈赤峰街近期傳出店家出走潮，經新聞報導追查，原來是店面租金大漲 2 倍到 5 倍，導致商家只好另尋出路。看似不相干的兩則新聞，追究背後的原因都難免觸及台灣房地產的惡性發展。《努力被房價收走，亨利．喬治論進步與貧困》一書剖析台灣房價飆升後造成多數人生活壓力的問題，並點出許多顯而易見卻尚未被政府與國民填補的稅制漏洞。

全書不斷提及十九世紀由亨利．喬治（Henry George）撰寫的《進步與貧困》，其核心觀點是：都市的發展是由生活在裡面的勞動者共同創造出來的。正是因為這些人們的工作、交通、教育和生活需求，才使得這座城市變得熱鬧與繁榮；然而，這些努力積累而成的經濟成果，絕大多數卻被地主和房東收割。回到赤峰商圈的例子就很具體—當初那裡只是無人問津的低矮舊房，只因鄰近雙連捷運站且租金相對便宜，才吸引了不少文青小店進駐，加上市府投入預算整理、重建周邊街景，打造出線型公園這類公共場域，自此便成為北市時尚男女假日逛街、聚會的新熱點。

土地與房子不單單是可以交易的財產，更是人們生活的入口。不論是工作、求學或安養等人生階段，都離不開一個便利且友善的物理位置。在經濟學供需法則的運作下，大家都喜愛的便利地段，價格自然只會水漲船高。此書的論點不在於否定市場經濟，而是提出了一個值得討論的問題：當繁榮的原因來自政府的預算與勞動者的投入，為何地主與房東能躺著賺取全部的利益？在台灣，囤地與置產的成本遠低於最終的獲利，過輕的稅制是一切混亂的源頭。

在台灣，房價議題總會觸動所有人的神經。無房者認為過高的房價是阻礙他們人生的大石頭；有房者則擔心房價一旦下跌，自己的財務與退休計畫將打折扣；對土地投機者來說，影響更是至為重大；甚至短視的執政者也樂見土地價格連年上漲，以便政府出售公有地來填補財政黑洞。一切問題源於同一塊土地上，不同立場的人所抱持的期待完全不同，甚至互相衝突：生活的必需品、退休的養老金、投資的資產、可變現的國有財產。台灣人把太多的需求連結到土地和房產上，以至於破壞了人們生活起居的必備要素，帶來與日俱增的壓力，最終導致年輕世代做出躺平與不生的決定。竭澤而漁一直是台灣社會最差勁的行事作風，而炒作土地與房價足以動搖國本，如果政府繼續放任下去，台灣將看不到未來。

這本由財經錢線出版的著作，在版權聲明中直接點出是由AI 協作，閱讀時確實讓人有一種違和感。文本內容的確有抓到核心論點並反覆舉例描述，但讓人覺得不斷把同一句話換個方式重複講，近兩百頁的內容充斥著大量的灌水文字。就像吃超商便當一樣，第一口覺得風味獨特、熱騰騰地能填飽肚子，但吃到八成後，就發現食材稀少、口味偏鹹，遠不如現烹便當。以目前來看，AI 協作的文字仍遠遜於真人作家的用心編寫。

In 2026, the number of newborn babies in Taiwan fell below 100,000. Over the past ten years, the birth rate has dropped by almost half. On the other hand, many shops in Taipei’s Chifeng Street have been leaving recently. News reports show that store rents went up by 2 to 5 times, so shop owners had to find other places. These two news stories seem different, but they are both related to the problems of Taiwan's real estate market. The book Progress and Poverty looks into how rising housing prices create pressure for most people. It also points out obvious tax loopholes that the government and citizens have not fixed yet.

The book keeps mentioning Henry George's 19th-century work, Progress and Poverty. His main idea is that city development is created by the workers who live there. Because of their jobs, transportation, education, and daily needs, the city becomes busy and lively. However, most of these economic fruits are taken by landowners and landlords. The Chifeng Street area is a good example. At first, it was just an old area with low houses that nobody cared about. Because it was near the Shuanglian MRT station and the rent was cheap, many trendy little shops moved in. Also, the city government spent money to upgrade the street and built a "linear park." After that, it became a popular spot for young people to hang out on weekends.

Land and houses are not just items to buy and sell. They are the start of our daily lives. Whether for work, school, or retirement, people need a convenient and friendly place to live. Based on supply and demand, convenient locations that everyone likes will naturally become more expensive. The book does not reject the market economy. Instead, it asks an important question: when prosperity comes from government spending and workers' efforts, why can landowners and landlords sit back and take all the profits? In Taiwan, the cost of holding land and property is much lower than the profits. A tax system that is too light is the cause of all this mess.

In Taiwan, housing prices affect everyone’s feelings. People without homes feel high prices are a huge wall in their lives. Homeowners worry that if prices drop, their financial and retirement plans will be hurt. For land speculators, the impact is even bigger. Even short-sighted leaders are happy to see land prices go up every year so the government can sell public land to cover budget money holes. The problem is that different people have completely conflicting hopes for the same land: a daily necessity, retirement money, an investment asset, or public land to sell for cash. Taiwanese people put too many expectations on land and property. This ruins the basics of daily life and brings growing pressure, making young people decide to "lie flat" and not have children. Taking everything without thinking about the future has always been a bad habit in Taiwanese society. Land and property speculation can hurt the nation deeply. If the government keeps ignoring this, Taiwan will have no future.

This book was published by Financial Frontline. The copyright page directly says it was created with "AI assistance." Reading it really feels a bit strange. The text captures the main points and gives many examples, but it repeats the same ideas again and again. The nearly 200-page book has a lot of extra words. It is like eating a convenience store bento: the first bite feels hot and tasty, but after finishing 80%, you find little food and too much salt. It is not as good as a freshly cooked meal. For now, AI-assisted writing is still far behind the thoughtful work of human writers.