Economists have opposed with practical unanimity the extreme theory apon which the single tax reform is based, involving, as is ad mitted, the confiscation of economic rent without compensation, and the dual proposition that the failure to appropriate all land values, and any taxation of other values, are both species of robbery. Some of the objections most fre quently urged against the single tax may be summarized as follows: (I) That land is similar to all other forms of wealth in respect to the fact that it consists of indestructible matter adapted by human exertions to satisfy human wants, and that in consequence George's distinc tion between property in land and other forms of property is invalid. Moreover, as many econo mists have pointed out, a very large proportion of rent consists merely of a fair average return to capital and labor Nvhieh have been expended upon the land. (2) That private property in land is permitted and encouraged because it con duces to the greatest good of the greatest number, and supplies a fund of wealth from which the State can easily derive all necessary revenues by the ordinary methods of taxation; that, act ing in this belief, we, as a people, have encouraged innocent parties to invest in lands. or to settle the public domain, clear it, till it, and by their labor and residence invest it with a value; that under such circumstances arbitrarily to con fiscate the values so created would be funda mentally inexpedient and intolerably unjust. (3) That the single tax would be inelastic, yielding too much revenue in some districts and too lit tle in others, a dangerous surplus in times of peace, perhaps. and an equally dangerous deficit in times of war and public emergency. (4) That the error of George's theory of distribution is shown by the facts, inter alto, that in many communities during the last fifty years rents have fallen. not risen, while in the same period wages have risen with practical universality. (5) That the single tax would prevent the utili zation of the taxing power for sumptuary purposes (e.g. taxation of intoxicating liquors), for the protection of home industry. and for the im provement of the present distribution of wealth (e.g. q progressive income tax). (6) That it is difficult, theoretically, to determine the value of land irrespective of the improvements upon it, that in practice the 'assessment of land is no toriously inexact, and that the single tax would intensify the injustice from this unequal assess ment. (7) Filially, it is denied that the single tax would appreehibly facilitate the accessibility to the soil, help the farmer, reduce overcrowding in cities. for the reasons among others that the tenant class would be in no better position than at present, merely paying rent to the State in stead of the private landlord, while the large number of small landowners would not only be expropriated, hut would in the future have to pay large rentals to the State.
While eomondsts have with practical unanim ity rejected the proposition to tax all economic rent and abolish all other taxes, a large number have advocated measures looking to the gradual appropriation by the State, either of all the fu ture unearned increment of land, or of a larger share of this future unearned increment than is taken at the present time in taxes. This idea
has met with particular favor in regard to urban land. John Stuart Mill advocated the appro priation of the future unearned increment of land. Prof. Adolph Wagner, the distinguished German economist. advocates private ownership of agricultural land, but favors public owner ship of urban land, which would. of course, bring into the public treasury all future increment in land values. The exemption of improvements for a period of years, especially buildings, has met with favor, and, indeed, has been adopted in many European countries. This. so far as it goes, is in harmony with the idea of the single tax.
The single tax movement is world-wide and probably is stronger than ever before, although its character has entirely changed since the first Mayoralty campaign of Henry George in 1686. The old popular and political methods of agita tion hare been abandoned, the nuclei of agita tion at present being clubs and single individuals prominent in polities, journalism. and business, such as T. G. Shearman of Brooklyn. Tom L. .Johnson. Mayor of Cleveland. and Governor yin of Rhode Island. The latter two are the most conspicuous examples of politically successful single taxers.
In the United States the single taxers act al most altogether with the Democratic Party, to which they are particularly drawn, inasmuch as the Democratic Party is the party of tariff re form, and the single taxers, in accordance with their fundamental idea, are in favor of absolute free trade, regarding it as contrary to natural right to levy a tax on imports; on account of this fusion it is difficult to determine just how much progress the movement has made in the United States. In England the single taxers are adherents of the Liberal Party and endeavor to force it to espouse their views. They hold office in many English cities and make the claim that their adherents control the city of Glasgow. The single tax movement is less prominent on the Continent of Europe than in English-speaking countries, and can scarcely be said there to have gained a foothold.
The single taxers are now endeavoring to se cure, first, a separation in the assessments of property, of land values, and the value of im provements on land: and, second, what they call home rule in taxation, or the authorization of local political units to place a tax upon land values and to free personal property from taxa tion. in ease they desire to do so.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. GeOrge, Progress and Porcrty Bibliography. GeOrge, Progress and Porcrty (New York, 1879) : hl., .social Problem (ib., 1896) ; hI., The Land Question (London, 1883) ; Shea rinan, tom( Taxation (New lurk, 1895) ; Seligman, Essays in Taxation (3d ed., 1900) ; Walker, Political Economy (ib., 1883) ; Spahr, Political Seicawc Quarterly, vol. vi., No. 4; Pro eff dings of American 'Social scicnce Association (1890). Periodicals: The Biagi.- Tax Review (New York City) ; Land Values (Glasgow); The Public (Chicago).