The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1910-07-17
- ole BRITISH CRISIS y
XII-THE LAND, LORD AND THE PEOPLE.
BY FREDERIC J. HASK1N.

, liam this money revenue, to be paid
by their tenants, in lieu OF all service,
tcnureS and lcvies of soldiers due to
the crown from the peers under the
remaining rules OF the feudal system.
So much has been said about the
terrible socialistic features OF this land
tax, IL has been so often denounced
and so seldom explained, that II is
worth while to examine into It's pro-
visions in order to find out exactly
what British land lords are crying
about. The new scheme of taxation
is a complicated affair. which at first
can produce but little revenue, but 1t
Is regarded as an entering wedge. The
principal proposals are thrce.fold. the
increment duty. the reyersion duty
and the undeveloped land dYY.
NEW YORK, July 15.-wiuiam
Loeb. Jr.. has had the o. h. OF Presi-
dent Taft and Colonel Roosevelt for
the governorshlp of New York state.
All Mr.. Loeb needs now is the O, X.
of the Republican state convention
voters Then he can have Governor
Hughes job. That Mr.. Loeb Is going
to have some trouble getting the In
dorsement of the Republican state
committee Is guaranteed by some of
the anti-Taft-Roosevelt Republican
machine leaders. In the meantime Mr.
Loeb has had conferences with the
president and former president and is
busy collecting duties at the New
York custom house. searching re-
turned travels trunks and getting
himself unpopular with various So
ciety folks who object strenuously to
displaying their garments over ten
acre steamship wharf
The first provides that, In the fu-
ture, the increase in the value of
land due to the efforts of society as
a whole. and in nowise to the In
dustry or ingenuity of the owner,
shall be regarded az unearned incre-
ment and that 20 per cent or one
fifth, of such increase shall be paid
to the treasury. This tax is to be
paid only when the land Is sold, or
when 1t changes hands by reason of
is owned by a corporation not liable
to death duties, then the tax is to be
paid in 1914 and each seventh year
thereafter. The phrase "unearued In
crement," may startfe some conserva,
tive Americans who are sensitive to
the influence of bugaboes, but It
must be remembered that in American
states, every annual or biennial as
scssment takes into account for pur-
poses of annual taxation not only
the unearned increment but also the
value of the land
If farm in Missouri Is assessed
at value Of $4,000, and It's value Is
enhanced $4,000 by improvements
placed upon 1t by the owner and is
still further increased by $1,000 be-
cause Of the building OF a new rail
road, the state of Missouri would col
lect taxes on the total value, incIud-
ing improvements made at tho ex-
pense Of the owner, as well as the
unearned increment resulting from
the advent of the railroad In Eng
land under the Lloyd-George Budget
taxation, no tax would be levied up
on the $4,000 original value, nor up
on the improvements, the only thing
would be that when the land was
sold, five years or fifty years hence,
the government would take 20 per
cent of the $1,000 unearned incre-
ment, after allowing an exception of
the first 10 per cent increase TO the
owner tax free. In a country where
lond rarely is sold, ii is difficult to
see how this tax would work hard,
ship.
AS matter of fact, the Missouri
farm would entirely escape taxation
under the Lloyd-George system. for
all purely agricultural land, all land
worth less than $3.50 an acre, all
property occupied by the owner as
home. is excepted from taxation alb
solutely. In other words, the tax
would be levied only upon the land
ord owners of rented property of |
nigh value used for other than agri. |
cultural purposes to which the com.