Music well so much for that digression, lets get back to henry george and the single tax movement. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading progress and poverty. The robert schalkenbach foundation rsf is a private operating foundation, founded in 1925, to promote public awareness of the social philosophy and economic reforms advocated by famed 19th century thinker and activist, henry george. At the turn of the last century, henry george and the single tax movement he inspired were household names. George disagreed with the limited interpretation, but he accepted its adherents e.
Updating henry georges meaning of single tax, by rick. Henry george was thus largely forgotten over the course of the twentieth century. There should be no doubt that henry george was seeking a uniform nationallyenforceable single tax when he established the platform of the single tax league of the united states copied below on sept. An anthology of henry georges thought henry george. George inness, henry george, the single tax, and the. Johnson, reform mayor of cleveland, and samuel golden rule jones, mayor of toledo, were both supporters of the single tax idea. The fundamental doctrine of henry george, the equal right of all men to the use of the earth, did not originate with him. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with henry george and his single tax theory. George himself says very little about fiscal policy other than to compare the claimed benefits of his single tax proposal with the plethora of other taxes that are imposed.
A catalogue of the collection in the new york public library. The single tax primer after writing many articles and pamphlets on the connection between societys progress and the poverty it simultaneously created, george decided to put all of his theories into one book. The government should finance all of its projects, he argued, with proceeds from only one tax. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. George inness 182594, well known today for his hudson river school style and tonalist landscape paintings, was also what one might call a good nineteenthcentury american activist. He promoted the single tax on land, though he avoided that term. This single tax movement later became known as georgism, after its most famous proponent henry george. Henry george and the crisis of inequality columbia. Some progressives, both in ohio and elsewhere, found georges theories to be very appealing. George believed that a single tax on land would be sufficient. Henry george and the single tax democratic underground.
Henry george and the single tax i was wondering if anyone is familiar with henry george and his single tax theory. George saw urban land speculation as a driver of urban inequality. He inspired the economic philosophy known as georgism, based on the belief that people should own the value they produce themselves, but that the economic value derived from land should belong equally to all members of society. This single tax would be on the unimproved value of landthe value that the land would have if it were in its natural state with no buildings, no landscaping, and so on. Many historians have described his dramatic race for mayor of new york on a labor party ticket in 1886. And henry george provides a logical and workable even elegant remedy, one which will untangle many of the perverse incentives we cope with today. An article in the august 9 issue of the economist, the time may be right for landvalue taxes, suggests to reconsider the landvalue tax advocated by american economist henry george in his 1879 book progress and poverty george proposed to tax away the rent on the unimproved value of land, and to replace all other taxes by that single one. Georgism is a threat to the very basis of socialism. A prolific author who was a strong defender of free trade and an advocate of the idea of a single tax on land. Georges theory is accepted as sound but is somehow trivial and redundant. I recently spoke with filmmaker mike bonner of city point films, the creator of henry george and the single tax documentary. Although george campaigned for less than a month, he spoke more than one hundred times, sometimes addressing five or more labor unions and church groups in a single evening. I recently started a correspondence course on his book progress and poverty and was amazed by some of the people that complimented his work.
Written by henry george, critical of entreprenuers, after studying poverty in america, determined that rich didnt pay fair share of taxes and proposed single tax on incremental value of land single tax. Henry george was a popular economic philosopher in the late 19th century. They advocated that the government adopt the concept of the single tax. Henry george and the single tax documentary and interview. George, author of the 1879 book progress and poverty, considered private land ownership to be the cause of inequality and advocated a single tax to remedy it. His writing was immensely popular in the 19th century america, and sparked several reform movements of the progressive era. The communitys land was held by the community, who paid only a single tax to cover public services. Henry georges single tax could combat inequality the. Pease, socialist historian and longtime secretary of the fabian society, this volume beyond all question had more to do with the socialist revival of that period in england than any other book. The legacy of henry george and the single tax movement he birthed continued their influence into the twentieth century. At the turn of the 20th century, the single tax movement was one of the most vital and influential forces of the progressive era. In it, george defined eight basic economic terms, in the classical manner.
He called the book progress and poverty, and published it in 1879. In his very important, and best selling book, poverty and progress, published in 1879. Odonnells own prodigious research, as well as his talent for synthesizing the findings of other scholars, makes this a social and political history of gilded age america as seen through the lens of henry georges extraordinary life. In the 1880s, henry george rose to fame with a series of bestselling books that proposed a social state funded by revenue from a single tax on land. Henry george september 21, 1839 october 29, 1897 was an american writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the single tax on land.
He inspired the economic philosophy known as georgism, whose main tenet is that people should own what they create, but that everything found in nature, most importantly. This social biography of henry george is a beautifully written, deeply researched, carefully argued, and analytically nuanced book. During henry george s time, this restrained georgist philosophy was known as single tax limited, as opposed to single tax unlimited. Henry george was clearly operating in a paradigm where he considered governments had to cover public spending with taxation.
He left school when he was years old and spent 2 years as a clerk before becoming a seaman. The thesis of the book is the proposal that all government revenue should come from a single tax on land. Mason gaffney prepared for henry george centennial, 1997 henry george 18391897 is best known today for progress and poverty 1879. Several important libertarian and decentralist figures were drawn to the comprehensive and holistic explanations and answers georges work offered. Documentary film about henry george and the single tax. It proposed a simplified and equitable tax system that upholds natural rights and whose revenue is based exclusively on ground and natural resource rents, with no additional taxation of improvements such as buildings. In the 1930s, the city became the caretaker of fairhopes greatest assets, the beachfront park, the park lands on the bluff above the beach, henry george park, knoll park, and the quartermile long pier, all gifts of the single tax colony, which continues to. The american economist and social reformer henry george 18391897 popularized the singletax reform movement. The movements primary goal was to bring about the land value tax or single tax advocated by george in his classic work, progress and poverty.
Henry george, born september 2, 1839, philadelphia, pennsylvaniadied october 29, 1897, new york city, new york, land reformer and economist who in progress and poverty 1879 proposed the single tax. Henry george was an american writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the single tax on land. Progress and poverty kindle edition by george, henry, george jr. Economic rent could be heavily taxed without impairing the supply of land or therefor ethe productive capacity of the economy in his book, progress and poverty, henry george argued that. Today, the community still exists, leasing land to 1,300 farmers, business owners, and homeowners, and remains as a reminder of henry georges utopian ideas. In the last fifteen years of his life, inness was deeply enmeshed in the crusades of the economist.
Eloquent, timely and challenging, this book soon became and remains the alltime best. Henry george seeks to explain why poverty exists notwithstanding widespread advances in technology and even where there is a concentration of great wealth such as in cities. Henry george, author of progress and poverty, argued that, while some forms of wealth are produced by human activity, and are rightly the property of the producers or those who have obtained them by voluntary exchange from the previous owners, land and natural resources are bestowed by god on the human race, and that every one of the n inhabitants of the earth has a. Georges 1879 book progress and poverty captured the imagination of millions in the united states and elsewhere, who found in his ideas a blueprint for an economic system that would retain capitalisms productive dynamism and distribute its fruits more fairly. The 26 minute film presents a basic historical overview of the man and the movement. The henry george school was founded in 1932 as part of a reform movement that sought to establish fundamental economic justice and sustainable prosperity for all. Henry georges single tax movement was based on the argument that. Evidence for a uniform national single tax, by rick dimare.
Seventyfive years ago, henry george spelled out his single tax program progress and poverty, one of the bestselling economic works of all time. The origins of the landvalue tax movement in new york city can be traced to henry george and his famous 1879 book progress and poverty. A documentary about henry george, the single tax, and the village of arden delaware. Henry george was an american political economist and journalist. Henry george september 2, 1839 october 29, 1897 was an american economist who wrote one of the most widely read economic treatises in history.
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