Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-10-12
INDUSTRIES PUNISHED
100000 ANNUALLY
Richmond Gives Premium OF So
100000 Each Year to Idle
ness. Speaker Claims.
BROWN TALKS no KIwANlANs
New Yorker Says Public Revenue
Has Il Greater Influence for Cool
or Evil in Community Than
Anything Else.

I "Hichmond annually Furnishes its
Industries by line. or FAX. amount
ing to about $500. 00o. and then. TO
add 10 the sum OF It's follics IL gives
to land owners as !, reward OF idle
ness. in the FORM OF land values.
public property 10 the extent OF So
0o0. 00u.'
This was the declaration OF James
tan Single Tax Club. OF New York
City. 10 the kiwanis Club last night
in the Chamber OF Commerce audi
toriu,n.
/: was perturbcd Kiwanis Club
which. with its guests. heard Mr.
Brown. The entire audience speaker
included was forced 10 walk to the
tenth floor of the building, on
which the auditorium Is located. All
elevator service was off, because OF
u nreak in the direct current service
OF the Virginia Hallway, and Power
Company. SAID 20 have been caused
through short circuit. BY reason
OF this fact the attendance was
somewhat curtailcd.
BOOST Land Values.
Mr.. Brown declared that this
enormous premium" resulted in the
boosting of land values beyond the
ability OF labor and capita! 10 Pay
Richmond requires about s6,l23,-
6S3 this year for al purposes said
the speaker. Your land area is To-
go acres and allowing FOR streets.
OF twenty five Ivy 100 feet.
An average tax OF $50 10; would
yield S7.9SI.2o0. And this without
taking one cent OF private property.
nor adding / cent to the cost OF liv-
| ing. This tax would grade In APP
portionment between your dearest lot.
said to be worth $4,000. or more.
and your chcao.s; io;. worth anou;
$3.50. or. ii you were Ia abolish all
taxes on improvements and personal
property and levy per cent tax
upon your land values. the dear lot
would pay $3.50. improved or ua-
| improved, and the cheapest lot would
pay $3.50 improved or unimprorcd.
/ Users o. land would benefit. non
users would have 10 become workers
| and producers.
Taxation Most Important Thing.
III YOU allow in this town two lots
| to each family, for all purposes, you
would need ONLY $4,000 lots. leaving
some 1871 $50 lots idle and vacant all
| OF which are entitled 10 and get more
or less social service and advantage,
but 10 not pay the full cost thereof.
What they do not ray IS unjus,ly
loaded on improvements.
| Taxation is ihe most important
thing in civilized lie. How We raise
public revenue has = greater Influence
anything else we do individually; IL
! is the on2ipotcnt hand that opens or
closes the door OF opportunity. /,
can give food 10 the hungry. clothing
or i can and does take property from
the Industrious and comforts from the
| thrifty. Il can turn heaven into he'll
| or hell into heaven.
TAXES that fall upon labor values
restrict production and increase the
! cost OF living. Taxes that fall on
land values open up. opportunities 20
labor and capital, raise wages and in
terest and lower ground rent.
Tax on Labor Products Robbery.
Taxation Is payment for social
service. Our prescn, system OF taxa
ton is, simply confusion worse con-
lect!ons, o; suesses from top TO bot
tom and involve the crimes of grand
and petit larceny.
| We rob the citizen Of his private
properly when we tax labor products
and we rob society OF social property
when we fan 10 take for social use
all land values Land value is the
value tina, attaches 10 land. irrespec-
t!v" and independent OF the Improve
ments thereon and reflects, not per
soma! EFFORT and production. but social
| presence and social activities. \ large
city with modern social utilities Will
have much land value. y small VIII
LACE with few ana poor public utili-
ties: Wi! hay. !!t;ic land value.
Social Activities Reflected in Values.
al! social activities are reflected a;
once in Increased value OF land. no:
in the Increased value % the buildings
or persona! property. Labor value IS
!
Land value Is the value OF the oppor-
tunity TO produce. y tax upon prod
ucts increases the cost Of living and
al! such taxes are paid by the ulti-
mate consumer tax uDon land
values tends 10 make land cheaper. 5
1t VII encourage the best use OF land
now held Tor speculative purposes.
t'-tw."n tGe upper and the neither
ns!ls,on"s Of theS. TWO fo!lies. the
people are ground down - starvation
point. Artificial boosting OF land
values speculation shuts the gates Of
opportunity on labor and CAPITAL To
lax labor values or products is 20
drive away capital and 20 discourage
industry. besides increasing the cost
OF living.
The Single tax is the only tax that
aces not vio!at. the rights Of private
property. II il III. only tax that
takes public value for public use. and
thdi does not crcate on the one hand
unJuSt burdens ana or the other hand.