The San Francisco call., 1898-11-02

agricultural districts and rise through the more densely populated portions of the State, from the villages to the towns, from the towns to the cites and from the cities to the great metropolis of the continent, we shall find that the value of land of buildings and the aggregate of taxation valuation will increase, the amount and accumulation o personal property increases, until land and buildings attain their greatest market and tax valuation in Wall street. Broadway and Fifth avenue, where the accu- mutation of personal property is greatest It IS also to be observed that, starting at the bottom ot our scae with the value of land greatly in excess of the value of the buildings connected with the land this difference, we progress upward through the more densely populated districts, gradually dnlinishes un- til the value of the building greatly exceeds the value of the land On which 1t is situated"
 As alternative the commission proposed to tax buildings part of the real estate, and then tax three times the rental rental value of the whole an equivalent of the personal property.
 Taking the rate of taxation at per cent as 1t was at the date of the report in Brooklyn Troy, Albany and Rochester, on land worth $2ooo with a building of the value the method of assessment, by bringing personal property into taxation would rer duce the rate to per cent
 Under the old system at per cent the $4ooo prop crty pays $I6o Under the commission plan the real assessed at 50 per would pay $2o tax The building, at 50 per real estate and so per cent in equivalent of the personal property would be assessed at $2ooo and at per cent would pay $40, and the building and land together would pay $6o, in stead of SI6o
 By the alternative plan of assessing land and build ing together at 50 per they would pay $oooo $40 tax; the rental value being assumed at per cent or $4oo three times that would equal SI2oo sessed the equivalent of personal property, and would pay a tax of SPA, the whole tax being $64, or slightly in excess of the first plan.
 It will be seen that under either of these plans the taxes of the landowner will be much less the total assessed valuation of the State through unevad- able inclusion of personal property would be so in creased as to cut the rate of taxation in two
 The plans of that commission presented consol- dated taxation of realty buildings and personality and assessment of railway franchises simple system, economical in its operation. The amount of revenue required for public purposes fixes the rate of taxa ton.
 Under the Mcguire land confscation system no at tention is paid to the amount of money required for public purposes. It proposes that the State take as tax the entire rental value of land thus rendering land valueess and destroying it private property In the illustration cited of property with rental value of $4oo per annu, the Mcguire plan takes the whole of that for tax.
 By the last report of the Board of Equalization land in California valued at S76I 34So8o Putting its rental value at 5 per cent or one-half the New York estimate, the State, by conhscating rents, would take as an annual tax $38,o5744o, whether it needed the money for public purpose or not. But George and Mcguire have both said the rate of tax ation must be high enough to take the whole of that rental * the of the land will pocket it."
 Now, the total tax levy in California for State and county purposes is $18oo8,8o6 while the Maguire plan win take annually S38os7,44o, $2o,oooooo more than the State and counties require. When Henry George was asked at St Louis (see National Single Taxer' for December IS, I8o7) what would be done with this excess the public needs, he an swered:
 aYou might give every girl when she comes of nlarriageable age something to marry on. You might give every when he reaches certain age pension. If you still had any left you might give everybody trip to Europe"