Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-08-08
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
SINGLE TAX THESES.

ton, other things being equal, raises
rent and lowers wages, besides AeSsen-
ing production.
q Holding valua BILE land out Of use
lowers the margin of production, other
things being equal
8. Land speculation involves the hold
ing of valuabl land out of use. 4
Land speculation is unavoidable so
long as land owners receive the in
crease in value created by the commn-
| nifty.
holding OUT Of use of valuable land un-
for use that which is now SO held,
either from speculative motives or from
no motive.
9. The single tax would thurs raise
| wages thereby being help to labor
ers. 1t would also help capitalists, by
relieving capital from taxation. 1t
would hurt no one but landowners, and
them only in SO far rs they were neither
laborers nor capitalists.
:. The landowner. as such. il of no
use to the com munity.
g. All men have originally an equal
natural right to land.
Q. There exists Theoretically no way
in which this right can possibly be
| afienated.
10. A landowner can require another
| to pay him any price he asks: II this
| other must use his land
| IL. Every man must use some land.
L. Therefore 90 and IL. where all
land is in the hands of owners, they
can force the landlcss to give up IA GER
ain amount of property TO them. (And
/ they do it,
| Is. There is no sufficient reason for
! giving the increase in valuc created by
the community to the landowner. 1t
belongs to the community, and no one
suffers IL hardship when the community
takes it
a. Movable or producible property
tends to go from il place where It is
heavily taxed to a place where it is
lightly taxed. or is permitted to escape
taxation. Therefore the abolition of
taxes on such property 10 any nation,
state or town would be a means of at
tracing such property. while the strict
and impartial enforcement of laws for
it's taxation is means of driving it
! away.
Il. Income and succession taxes like
wise tend to drive away the rich.
| Is. A tax on property which is the re-
suit of labor, or which has been saved
I such la Dor and'thrift. ~
II. A tax which increases the cost Of
owning or using any implement or car
rying on any process of production or
trade. binders such production or trade;
except that sometimes such a tax con-
eentrates the business in the form of 4
monopoly. whose power may be a
superior advantage.
! IS. Such a tax always tends to mo-
I nopoly and to the crushing out Of small
producers by increasing the amount of
capital necessary for carrying on a
given amount of business.
10. Such tax, entering into the cost
OF the goods. is paid by the consumer in
his purchase, and falls on consumers in
proportion to their purchases. But in
general. the larger 4 mans income is
the smaller is the proportion of it which
he spends for his own consumption.
Therefore, among those who pay any
such tax it falls heaviest on the poorest.
20. Such a tax takes from the con.
sumer an unnecessary amount beyond
what it gives to the government, he
cause the tax enters into the cost of the
goods. and thus the trader must charge
n profit on the tax as we'll as on the
other cost in order to get the usual
profit on his whole capital The effect
of the tax in encouraging monopolics
may make production cheaper, and thus
neutralizc this, but the monopoly is
more likely to involve an additional tax
on the consumer
81. Such a tax, by its interference
with private business. give private
narties =, dircc+ pocu,i,ry interest in
having it laid or removed. not ncccssari.
" coin,iding with the interest tbov
have in the well-beincr Of the communi.
tv rs whole. and thus increases tho
induccmcnt to corrun,ion in Govern.
ment. This is cspcciaIlv true where it
falls on one particular Industry. as with
zach of the m,,l,i,udin,us sneciol ta.es
which make ny, o,,r t,r;fY
o.,