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The Historical RecordNowhere yet has the principle of the public collection of land rent, with abolition of all other taxes, been fully applied. But partial applications indicate results commensurate with the degree of application. The history of all such efforts is presented in Land Value Taxation Around the World (Third edition, 2000, Blackwell, 490 pp.) The following remarks are excerpted from the introduction to that volume by its editor, Robert V. Andelson.
In 1955, when the first edition of this book came out, land-value taxation seemed to be advancing steadily if not dramatically; it was spreading at the local level in Australia and New Zealand, and its extension in Denmark was backed by all three parties that made up the coalition government. By 1997, the year of the second edition, serious reversals had occurred in New Zealand and Denmark, the nations where it had seemed most firmly entrenched, and there is now a definite possibility that what little remains of it in Denmark is about to be discarded. Although nowhere actually rescinded in Australia, it had been minimized there by growing reliance on users’ charges.... Partial vs. Full Application
Land value tax will not decrease land prices unless it recovers a greater portion of the land rent than is created by the incentive effects of the tax. By stimulating a local construction boom, LVT can raise local wages temporarily. But for land value taxation to fulfill its promise of raising the general level of wages and interest, it must be applied to a sufficient degree to raise the margin of production. This suggests that, while local and incremental implementation efforts are important, the Georgist remedy will not come to fruition without a long-term, broad-based education effort. Specific ExamplesDenmark — Denmark collects much revenue from taxes on incomes and products. However, she has a heritage of land value taxation that still has some effect on the national economy. Local governments collect a grundslyld (ground rent) averaging 2.4% of assessed value, and a 1% property tax at the national level.
Unfortunately, LVT had more more influence in the past. In the 1960s, Denmark used a land value increment tax, and offered a national farm-lease program.
Norway — Revenues from Norway’s sizable oil exports have been collected and administered by the national government. Some of the oil royalites have been invested in education and public works, but more has been invested in a national fund, whose value has been as high as three-fourths of the country’s GDP. Norway boasts the world’s highest standard of living. Canada — Western Canada had a long history of exempting urban and rural improvements from taxation, but in recent years has reverted to conventional forms of property taxation. Alberta obtains considerable revenues from oil leases, rentals and royalties (a form of land rent, which has made possible a “Heritage Fund”). Two-Rate Property Tax Reform — Seventeen jurisdictions in Pennsylvania now apply what is termed the “graded tax plan” whereby land is taxed at a higher rate than improvements. This was an important factor in Pittsburgh’s “Renaissance II” in the 1980s. Unfortunately, however, after a reassessment in 2003 inaccurately penalized many small homeowners, Pittsburgh abandoned the two-rate tax. Nevertheless, other Pennsylvania cities, most notably the capital city of Harrisburg, have undertaken the two-rate shift with great success. The city of New London, Connecticut has recently adopted this reform. California — In 1909 the California legislature required new irrigation districts (and gave the option to established ones) to tax land values only, exempting improvements, crops, etc. Speculation was eliminated, and California’s pre-eminent role in US agriculture began during that period. Alaska — The state owns much of the oil land around Prudhoe Bay, and collects a 12% royalty. This has resulted in abundant revenues beyond public expenses, and has made possible a per capita dividend and a cancellation of the income tax. Fairhope, Alabama — This is a colony operated by the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation which owns much of the land in Fairhope and leases it to its residents. With the economic rent it collected, the corporation paid property taxes levied by the state, county and city, and used the remainder is used for public improvements. Fairhope far outstripped its neighboring towns in growth. Unfortunately, internal political pressure has led the Corporation to discontinue this effective rent-collection policy. The Three Ardens, Delaware — In Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft, the land is leased to its users, and no taxes are collected on improvements. Arden’s land rent fund pays real estate taxes for its residents, and a portion of it is sometimes used for maintenance of public improvements. These towns are well-known as beautiful residential communities. However, land prices in Arden are as high as those in neighboring communities that are equally desirable, showing that the community does not collect anywhere near the full rental value of land.
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