THE LAND QUESTION - Taxation and Rating of Land Values - By the Rt.Hon.Josiah C. Wedgwood

Sep 21, 2026

Political pamphlet content on “The Land Question,” focusing on Labour’s programme for taxation and rating of land values. The text argues that urban ground-values result from society’s collective activity and public expenditure rather than individual effort. It opposes private appropriation of economic rent, proposes increased public ownership, and calls for land value to fund national and local needs. It also describes public renting conditions and periodic revisable rents tied to improved land valuation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

THE LAND QUESTION

OUR PROGRAMME

Arguments for land value taxation

Public renting and revisable rents

Quotations supporting the Labour policy

97-84076-5Wedgwood,JosiahClementThe land question London # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISIONBIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ## ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD ### RESTRICTIONS ON USE: Roproductions may not be made without permission from Columbia UniversityLibraries. ## TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mmREDUCTION RATIO: 9:1 IMAGE PLACEMENT:IA INITIALS: 9 5-7-97 23+88 ### TRACKING\#: FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. 3x | THE LAND QUESTION
TAXATION AND
RATING OF LAND VALUES
308
Z
βo×238
By
The Rt.Hon.Josiah C.Wedgwood,D.S.0.M.P.
Published by
THE LABOUR PARTY,
Transport House(South Block),Smith"Square,
London,S.W.I | | --- | | Price:One Penny;
Post Free,lld.
9d.per doz.;4/6 per 100,
earriagze paid. | | --- | ## THE LAND QUESTION TAXATION ANDRATING OF LAND VALUES By The Rt.Hon.Josiah C.Wedgwood,D.S.O.,M.P. OUR PROGRAMME. Labour and the Nation(p.42)sets out its Labour policy of thisquestion as follows: TAXATION AND RATING OF LAND VALUES. Nor does the Labour Party forget the importance of securing a moreadequate contribution to national needs from those other types of incomewhich cannot,by any stretch of imagination,be regarded as a necessarypayment for useful services,and to which,therefore,a prudent Cha-cellor of the Exchequer,concerned to balance his Budge without imposingunecessary burdens upon production,will naturally turn.Of suchincomes the rent of urban land is obviously a conspicuous example.Urban ground-values are patently and directly the result,not of indi-vidual efort or sacrifice,but of the grouth of the acivities of socielyitself-of the energy and skill of its workers,of the enterprise of itsindustrial pioneers,and,not least,of coMM1nal expenditure by LocalAuthorities and by the StateTo allow the income which they yieldto be appropriated year by year by properly-oteners,who“grou richer,as it were,in their sleep,withou wovking,risking,or economising,"appears to the Labour Party,both on moral and economic grotsnds,to be clearly indefensible.It holds that the private ownership of landis not to-day in the best interests of the nation,and it intends to extendthe area of public ouwnership with the utmost rapidity.But it sees s0reason why,zehile land remains in.private hands,its proprietors shouldretain for themselves the economic rent zohich it yields as a resnalt ofthe Labour of their fellow-citizens.It proposes,therefore,to recoverfor the community,part,at least,of that unjistifiable tribide,by securingthat land-values make a special contribudion to national and localrevenues. Public lands should be frely let to individuals,subject to properuse of the land.Rents,however,should be periodically revisable eEH/AA 7,b1 according to the nimproved Land Valuation,and full compensationgiven for all improvements if the tenancy is terminated. That the Land Problem lies at the root of our socialills is fullyrecognised by the Labour Party as the following quotations fromthe writings of the Rt.Hon.J.RAMSAY MACDONALD show:一 “ ..it is from,the land that vee derive all the primary raumaterials.It is the soil which the agriculturist needs,il contains theores and the minerals of all our vast mining,quarrying,smelting trades;upon it must be built our factories,our warehouses,our houses;itis still,with the exceplion of the high seas,the foundation of our trans-port industry.If it were closed against us,every industry in theCountry weould be paralysed and we should die." "Rent is a toll,not a payment for service.By it social values aretransferred from social pools into private pockets,and it becomes themeans of vast economic exploitation.Of this injustice,urban landvalues are pure examples,and the praclice of holding up lard u7-penalised by rates,and of valuation for rating purposes wh

FAQs

What is the core Labour proposal discussed in the document?

It proposes taxation and rating of land values so that part of the economic rent from land accrues to the community for national and local revenues.

Why does the document argue that private landowners should not keep economic rent?

Urban ground-values are presented as outcomes of society’s activities and public expenditure, so appropriating them year by year without individual risk or work is described as indefensible.

How should rents and land valuations be handled if land is publicly let?

The document states that public lands should be freely let under proper use, with rents periodically revisable according to improved land valuation and full compensation for improvements if tenancy ends.

Sep 21, 2026

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