"SHOULD WEALTH BETAXED ?"
LECTURE BY MR. O'REGAN. There was a fair attendance last evening when Mr. P. J. O'Regan gave a lecture in the Esperanto Kali on the subject of taxation. After his introductory remarks on the subject, Mr. O'ltegan said that briefly put, all wealth was the product of labour applied to land. Wealth, therefore consisted of the earnings of labour, and to exempt it from taxation implied leaving everyone to enjoy the fruits of his own labour. Care should be taken, however, to distinguish wealth from mere monopoly or. privilege. For example, in the "United States prior to the emancipation of the negroes, the planters reckoned their slaves as part of their wealth. If that were correct, it followed that when tho slaves were freed the national wealth was reduced. Such, however, was not tho fact, but, on the contrary, emancipation meant an enormous increase in national wealth, for free labour was incalculably more productive f.hau slave labour. AVliat was gone when the slaves were liberated was tho privilege or power possessed by a few men of compelling others to produce wealth for them. Similarly with the ownership of land. Under existing conditions landlords were enabled to command tho wealth produced by labour, but tho entire monopoly value of land, could bo taken by taxation, and not only would there be no diminution of 'wealth, but the forcing of idle land into use would give an enormous impetus to the production of wealth. Only the landlords' power to take from the earnings of labour would be gone. -The question in issue was ono of great practical moment to the masses. Tho watchword of all land reformers should be "No tax on wealth," that is to say, no tax on earnings. Every man should possess what his labour produced, and by remitting all such taxation and concentrating taxation on tho community-created value of land, every man would be restored to his natural rights. Laud was of natural right common property, but in order to secure that right, there need bo nothing more revolutionary than an orderly and constitutional change in tho incidence of taxation. At tho conclusion of tho address a hearty voto of thanks was accorded tho speaker.
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Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 3
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370"SHOULD WEALTH BETAXED ?" Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 3
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