Middletown transcript., 1895-08-31
WHAT IS SINGLE TAX.

WHAT IS SINGLE TAX.
II Very few writers about Single Tax
tell what it is, and the missionaries
tell less in their public tslks. The fol-
lowing under the signature of Harold
Sudell, and taken from the Sunday
Star of August 25th, shows pointedly
and distinctly that they propose to con-
| Estate land, or land value in rent which
is the same thing, and holds out the
alluring bait that all other taxes shall
be abolished:
'The Single Tax is social reform
movement, its fiscal Maine Indicating
the means by which its ends will be at
tanned. DR.. McGlynn's definition of
it is perhaps the best yet given. He
says 'it is to make room at their
Fathers liable for all his children
"The Single Taxer holds that the
earth is Gods gift to His children and
that all His children have an equal right
to that gift.
"They would not however divide the
land equally among the people as some
suppose, nor, would they have land
held in common. Private possession
of land is necessary and seeing that
rental value of the bare land measures
tho odvoptono Tho poocapoor Of lond
has over his fellows (who are equally
entitled to the use of that land) the
Single Taxer would take this rental
value of bare land, or, in other words
the ground rent, for the purposes of
Government, and, as this source would
yield an ample revenue, they would |
abolish every other form of taxation.
"What we would do in Delaware is |
this-we would abolish all our city and |
country taxes that fall on buildings |
and improvements; would do away |
WITHHOLD taxes, stock taxes, licence and
occupation taxes now levied on rail-
road and express companies, sc. land in
place of all these. would increase the tax
that now falls on the bare land value
until it would yield sufficient revenue
for all city, county and State purposes.
In making his assessment the assessor
would not take into consideration the
value of the buildings or improvements,
on or in he laHd-he would simply try
to get at the value of the land itself.
Gin the case of city lots vacant lot
would be assessed at its selling value
and the next lot even though on it
stood $4,000 building would be
assessed at the same figure, provided the
two lots were equal in size and situa-
tion.
"In the case of farm land the value
assessed would be the value left after
the value of the farmhouse, barns,
fences, drains, &C., had been deducted
from the whole value of the farm, or
the land would be assessed at the value
of wild land of similar natural fer
tility. The aim of the assessor would
be every case to exempt from taxation
everything that the individual himself
created and to tax only the creation Of
the community by land values.
''For it is plain to be seen that com=
munities do create land values. Will
land values are due to it's
&c, 600 Inhabitants. Take them away
and the land values disappear and
wherever those 10000 people settle
down there will the land values reap
pear. --.....-
sit will be noted from this that the /.
Single Tax is a strictly just measure,
for it takes for the uses of the commun- '
ity only that which the community it. s
self makes, and, it leaves the individ- S
ual in full possession of all he, as an t
produces.
HIt is furthermore the natural
method of raising revenues aud it is
not difficult to see in the increasing of /;
population the intent of an all wise $
Creator that it should be the source of 1
public revenue. For where population t
Is sparse, there land values are small,
and there too, the need of government
are small. But as population increases
and as the need of government become
greater to the fund is found in the
growing land values.
"Now in the case of an individual
who persists in living contrary to y
lature's laws We find that disorder Ia n
'ure to follow, and, so too, just as !,
'urely, do we find that the neglecting :,
If natures laws, in the case of tax r
ltion has produced social disorder and =
{ is to remedy this that the Single Tax