Progress and Poverty

Progress and Poverty

The equal right of all men to the use of land is as clear as their equal right to breathe the air—it is a right proclaimed by the fact of their existence. For we cannot suppose that some men have a right to be in this world and others no right. Progress and Poverty is an influential book that proposes a single tax on land. The proposal is for the state to tax away all economic rent on bare land while abolishing all other taxes. The impact of the book during its time was massive, sparking a social movement around the ideology of the book that is now known as Georgism. Georgism has a long lasting legacy through its influence on the land taxation policies of many countries in the world. Henry George was an American economist, journalist, and land reformer. He was very influential in 19th century America for his argument for a single tax on land values.