The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-11-13

Mr.. Alexander Ure. the Liberal Lord
Advocate for Scotland, recently deliv-
cred a speech in Belfast, Ire, on the
taxation of Land values in England,
and said in part:
The first of the land taxes in the
crement Duty. Now. increment was
large and unfamiliar word. Let him
in few plain sentences tell them what
the increment duty was. The Chan
cellor Of the Exchequer says: when
my bill becomes law"-as law it will
become-( (cheers)-'I would like to find
out what is the value of the land which
each landowner in the country possess
es. l do not want to know anything
about his buildings, nor do l want to
know the value Of his improvements.
What l want to know is the value of
his land, and when l have found out
the value of his land l will write that
down in the book" (Applause.) This
is what is disliked most Of all. They
say: 1--WE will pay all your taxes with
out a. sneeze, but we resent it when
you ask: What is the value of your
land?" Then says the Chancellor of
the Excheuuer: "When some day a
landowner sells his land at an increas-
ed price-an increase Of price which
), is not due to any improvement In agri-
culture but an increase which is due
to the land having become more valu-
4 able for building and Industrial pur-
poses-then 1 will ask him to give me
a portion of that Increased value to
minister to the needs of the commune
ity." (Applause.)
He would offer an illustration. If at
the time the valuation was made the
land was worth 100 pounds, "that was
written down in the bool1"-(applausc)
and If some day the man sold his land
for 200 pounds the Chancellor says:
"Now I find that you have got 100
pounds increased value on your land.
would you be kind enough to put 80
pounds of that increase in your pocket,
and give me 20 pounds for the needs
was the Increment Tax. He hoped he
had made it plain. (Hear, hear.)
The Reversion Duty-that again was
a. large and unfamiliar word. In Eng
land (not in Scotland, and he was not
sure If in Ireland) they had a system
by which a man who owned land let
it out on long lease for building
purposes-a lease which extended 30,
40, SO, so, 80, or even 80 years. They
, had not that system in Scotland.
Scotchman never liked to part with his
, property even at the end of SO years
Gaughter) Now the Chancellor of
, the Exchequer said, II would like to
find out what is the value Of a mans
land at the time that he grants Il lease,
and when have found that out I VIII
, write it down in the ebook'-(applause)
and when the lease comes to an end
and the land falls back into the hands
of the man who granted the lease. or
, his successor, If find that the land has
Increased in value will ask that man
to give me a portion of this increase
in value for the needs of the country
(Applause.)
The third tax was what was called
Undeveloped Land Tax What in the
world was undeveloped land? "Unde.
!, veloped land is not agricultural land
:, 1t was not pastoral land. 1t was not
: land upon which there were buildings
factories. workshops, etc. 1t was lant
which was quite suitable for building
. ,pon at the present time. but upor
q which the owner was in no hurry tt
build as long as they did not tax OF
rate it. The Chancellor Of the Ex.
|. chcquer thought, and so did he (Mr
a Ure), that was all wrong. Their idti
a was to find out every year what wa:
e the market price of that mans land
lust the price he would get for it If h
went into the market tomorrow will
L. it-and when they had found that ou
e. they "would write it down in the book
(applause)-and every year they woul'
n, invite that man to offer as contribu
p ton ]kd in the l pound on the capita
ID value of his land. That man kneN
quite we'll that his land was valuabl
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