I don't understand this "tax the land" argument. Agricultural land isn't worth very much - about £21,000 a hectare. Get planning permission and suddenly, depending on where the land is it could be worth anything from half to two million+ quid. So if you are taxing land, just exactly what is its taxable value? Its value as it is, or its potential? But I digress. If the government were really hell bent on building new houses, they could simply compulsory purchase it and railroad the planning system so that what the government says goes. But I believe the whole issue of land and hosing is a little more complicated still.
That said, I agree with the sentiment of this thread - that much of the economic woes of individuals in this country revolves around the cost of housing.