HOW LANDLORDS ARE TAXED.

Grey River Argus, 27 September 1909, Page 4

HOW LANDLORDS ARE TAXED.

• When Mr Lloyd George spoke at Limehouse, according to his opponents, he degraded his high" office by descending to personalities. What the Chancellor of the Exchequer really did was to :giye : some striking illustrations of the need for a tax on the unearnedin«ementvv He took first of ail >th? ca=;e "Xsf a swam© lying between the Lea and the Thames. The co mmerce and triaide.cf Londoa expanded and swamp' lands 'were required for build-ii^s&sV-^That-wastheoppo^y of rtihe on^^M^.™* I*'»1 *' » s aad;tne ChaHcelfe-i'All that land ,<]**ame yalu^'le building land, and la*d which rented at £2 and £3 an acreT^as' been selling withm the last f €W year* for £2000 an acre, £3000 an acre, £6000 an acre, £8000 an .acre^ Who created those ancrements? ,Wiw Wade that golden swamp? Now, you follow thatjransaotdoii^-land'worth £2 and: £^ an ;acre running up to thousands. During the time it was ripening the iandtoroV was-paying hi^ rates arid his taxes rioit^oii '^2 or £?. an. acre. It ■•was" .aigiucui'turaliand, and. because itwas agricuUural land a munificent Tory Government voted a sum of 000,006 : v t^ ;: pay -^half : ' the iates. ; All those p^oor, .distressed landlords— and you attd-/:M had. 'to pay the. taxes \mi order <to enable those landlords v top" ay half ;thek^"rate's "ftfi- agrkulitniral land, whilst lt'W; 'goxng up. every year by hundreds of "pounds through your ef- . forts " and the ' efforts of your neighbours; 'Welly iris coming to an end." Golder's Green was another case nn pein' mentioned by' Mr Lloyd George. Before ; itiie railway was opened last yeai a piece of land sold for ■'"£ 16b; rhij year^it sold for .£2160. '• A County (jcuncilj he continued; required a plot oi.land for a school for the child Ten of v/orkers on an estate tdonging- lo tbo Duke of North'-imber-iao Tte duke offered a site— Taled on 'the X as'- 3 of 30s an acre—^and demanded ■ t v •?- for it. "U it is worth P^ded. the ChanceUor, "let 'him pay taxes on it." The -touvn of Bootle-Avais- ; next mer. tioiied. In 1 879 th^e ffates aniouritei to and ground rents amount ed to a' net £10,606.' ''The' grates were increased to pay for improvements ; in ißq3 .they amounted to All the while the landlords sat still and . watched their ground rents growing to £100,000. Then there was a case from GreencekV where": the Admiralty wanted a torpedo range. The land it -bought; was rated at £1 i 10s a year, but , the -State had. to 1 pay £27,225 for ■it. : '. : ." ■-:■.■.■■• V"'- ■- . ' MORE HORRID EXAMPLES. ' : Mr Lloyd George certainly "gave both Ldbepals and C 6n lse rV'a.tives focjd •fonr thought' iii his Limetbottsei .speech. Eyem in his awn" Wiles, he said, . ..t'he landlpoids were not always reasonable. The Police Gom'mitifceer of his district ■\va-n.ted '. a site for a police staitiori. . "We'll, now,'' he contioiued "you migiit Have imialgiined ifch&t if a landlord sold land -so aheaply for anythinig it would have been, for -a jpoljce" sitation. The lioueing of 'the wprkinig . classes— that's a diff«renit r n\atter-^buit: a .police station means sSovuMy fof ipnopeSty. "Noit at all The '■total^^ capulition. of 'C^iia\yioinsh.ire is not as mudh; as the ■- popuiation of Limehouse; alone ; it' is a scattered area-, no igr^at crowded. populartioii is there. And yet they denuaiided .for a inece of' land which waVconitribuitinig two shilling a y6ay to the rates £2500 ian aorei Well ail we . say is this : If (tihedr land is as -valuable i&- all that let' it (hiaye the same value 'on the •assessment book a&.it seems to possess in the auction room." '• "We mean to value all ; ;the land of the Kdragdom," tfee ChanoeJionr declared "and if and goes uip in' future by him •dreda of tho!uisands ; ■'■ aa : acre thTC>ugh .the tjffoiits of ;,tlhe oominxundity, >the -.dbsm ie unity Mll : geit!2o^plerceW cremmt^' , Speialcinig. of the ,rey.eirs;on •tax. the ChOTceLUwr •; ' 'd»scended"lla- ; gain to personalties :; 'He. quoted the Go-nrinige case. "-"Mi: Gorringei,". hej said; "had got ' a lease of ; the . pr©-; indses on a fe\v hniodfedis- of pounds' a' yeair ground' .reh.tr ' -iHe; built up a; : great business -ithere. He wias .a. very able' business man.: Tihe end of the "lease oamne'j land he w-enit ito th« . Duke of Wesitminister and gadd 'Will you renewj my leaise?.- : I' want to^c^ry "on™y| business here..' He.said 'Yes, I vill;| bint I ' will l d6; it : oar' condiijioTi thal : thej few hundreds ,a : y^ar yoni pay \, for; ginoumd- rent; sfhsill in. -future ; fce;(£4o6o: a yejar. ' ' ' A"hd in adddiiifeii: to thait, , he? Wad to pay a; fiae^ajfitije, you^— (■ of •■'• And Vhe-^lad.' imWiwkv premises'at enorantoius^expense, accord^ 1 itiig toT^plan's suzraa^ted^to the Dukej of Wesitmiinisifaer. - Well, now, ia.il;' F can say is rtHs-: If it as oonfisoaAion and irobbery for us ito' say' to thialt; duke th'a^'ib^ig; j? n^^d 1 !°f or; -public pufflpasiesfwe waiil Jake. 10 per| . teiiit .of all 1 ■ypU'r igpt foa? those (Pjiar-; poses wh'ait .woail<l ! you idall'his* takimg) nine-itenths 'from V" Mr Goarrinige.?''; "Lppik* ait all ! iiiiise I«ias€(ho3d system!" cried the" iQhlaiioeHor. ' 'A' c-ase like thfat is not bjiiisdriess at i s blackmail." •Mar.- Lloyd Geoiige's line of argiuimen* may have .be€n. peiisomal but it wa6 ceitainily Itellan'.g-. . ; •