unearned increment

1 9.9

An increase in value of land or buildings caused by outside events, not by the owner's work

noun

Specialized

: incremento no ganado

The developer benefited from a substantial unearned increment when the government built a new railway nearby.

Examples

Landowners sometimes receive an unearned increment as urban expansion increases property demand.
Many homeowners benefited from the unearned increment in property values.
Taxation policies may target the unearned increment to ensure fairness between investors and the public.
The city saw a huge unearned increment this year.
The developer benefited from a substantial unearned increment when the government built a new railway nearby.
Landowners sometimes receive an unearned increment as urban expansion increases property demand.
Taxation policies may target the unearned increment to ensure fairness between investors and the public.

Synonyms

appreciation

vsunearned increment

Specialized

12 4.2

An increase in the value of something over time

results mainly from outside economic forces rather than owner effort

How Earned

capital gain

Specialized

94 5.4

appreciation

Specialized

12 4.2

unearned increment

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

unearned increment singular

unearned increments plural

Morphology

unearned + increment

The phrase combines 'unearned' (not obtained by effort) with 'increment' (an increase), so its meaning — an increase in value that was not earned by the owner — is directly and compositionally derivable from the parts. Although somewhat formal/technical, the constituents make the concept clear to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The noun unearned increment comes from talk about land that becomes worth more when a town grows or a new road is built. Here increment means a rise and unearned means the owner did not cause it, so the phrase means 'an increase in value caused by outside events', not by the owner's work.