The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-08-30
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
very Badly Muddled Man Set Alright.
From the Standard

rom the standard.
Langdon House, st. Anne's Hill
"andsworth, S. W., England. Wi
you kindly answer the following que:
lions propounded by Mr.. T. Nicholson?
THos. BRIGGS.
l.. A tax upon land values can only b
paid out OF the prices obtained for tn
produce of land.
Inis Is true. II we were to say that
iand value tax must be paid out of tn,
produce OF labor applied to land, w,
should be more exact, but would proba
Oily mean nothing different from wha
Mr.. Nicholson means.
2. The produce of land is the necessa
ries of life.
Constituting the term ssnecessaries O,
NE broadly, so as to include all the
material things which we desire, this
also is true.
3. A tax on land value is, therefore, 4
tax on the necessaries of life.
by no means. Mr.. Nicholson errs in
assuming that the thing with which a
tax is paid is the thing taxed. A tax on
tobacco, If paid in corn or the price of
corn, is not a tax on corn. A tax on
bachelors, though paid out of the price
obtained for pork, would not be tax on
pork. This tax on bachelors, recently
proposed in France for the purpose Of
promoting marriages, admirably illus
trates Mr.. Nicholson's fallacy. 1t would
have to be paid out of the products of
labor applied to land, but it is plain
that 1T would not in any sense be q tax
on these products. 1t would be a tax
simply and solely upon the privilege of
remaining unmarried, just as marriage
license tax is tax on the privilege of
getting married. So a tax on land
values, though paid with products of
labor, is not a tax on those products. 1t
is tax on the privilege Of monopolizinr
valuable land.
4. tax, il of considerable amount,
increases the cost of the article taxed.
This is true of all articles produced in
competition. But it is not true of mo-
nopolized articles. To tax corn is to
increase its price, because the tax makes
1T more difficult to produce corn. and
therefore tends to lower the market
supply. But to tax land values Is to de-
crease the price of land, because the
tax makes it more difficult to keep land |
out OF its best use and, therefore, tends |
TO increase the market supply.
8. Therefore tax on the necessaries
of life increases the cost of those neces-
saries.
Yes.
.. The necessaries of life are articles
'f trade, and any action of government
which increases their cost is against
'reedom of trade.
Yes.
z. A tax levied upon necessaries pro-
luced in this country. and not upon
hose received from abroad, is protect
se duty against home growths.
Yes.
8. The British farmer would have a
light to demand that corn coming from
broad should bear tax equal to the
roportion OF single tau he had - pay
ut of his corn.
No. Though he pays the land value
Ak with corn this does not increase the
ost OF producing home grown corn.
he price OF corn is regulated by cost of
reduction from the best land of no
aine To tax corn Is to increase the
ost OF production of corn from all land.
ne poorest as we'll as the best. But to
TX land values does not affect cost of Z
reduction from land of no value, since
lat kind OF land does not come under
le tax, and, therefore, it can not affect u
'st OF production from any land. Its
feet is to lessen the rent which would e
herwise go to the land owner BY yir- 4
%, not Of his labor, but of his owner q
lip. Z
II we are correctly informed, most
'itish farmers now pay the single tax
i OF their corn to landlords in the 81
me Of rent. Does that increase the N
ice OF corn, or give them a right to de- m
Ind that corn coming from abroad
all be taxed? b
,. Both by increasing the cost Of pro- cl
CO and necessitating an equal tax up sc
foreign produce, the single tax idea
contrary to the principles Of free |
de. 70
When Mr.. Nicholson comes to under he
nd the incidence of taxation he will w
that this question needs no answer. 10
Q single tax does not increase the 70
CO of production or necessitate any 70
whatever on foreign produce. tn
o. Political economy requires that w
expenses of government should be as
ne by the citizens in proportion to W
ir wealth. go
would be better to say that the ex- tn
lses of the government should be me-
ne by the citizens In proportion to Ys
value of the special privileges gov arc
ment secures to them. But as owners cor
he most valuable special privileges ant
certain soon to become the wealth. at
men in community unless COM lot
ed to bear the burden of taxation, il yo'
OF important to deny this postulate. ing
his is, of course, not true. A tax val
does not increase the cost of the me
sssaries of life can have no such ef- and
can
The single tax would cast the fou
Fiest burden on the man whose fam viii