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The conference began in the evening of Tuesday, July 23, 2019, with registration and greetings. Dan Sullivan, a long-time Georgist from the Pittsburgh area, gave a talk. Pittsburgh was known as Smoke City in the early twentieth century. Business executives brought an extra shirt or even two to work with them, so that they could change shirts and look respectable later in the day, after the first shirt became smoke-stained. The city had a two-rate property tax (after 1911), with land taxed at twice the rate on buildings. 80% of the revenue was from land, because land values were high.
Back when the two-rate property tax was enacted, its opponents invoked Henry George, trying to discredit the idea. The Board of Realtors and Chamber of Commerce were for it, but they didn’t talk much about that radical reformer Henry George.
Cars made it possible for people to move to the suburbs, and escape rack-rents. Earlier, people who worked in Pittsburgh’s industries had had to live close by, where rents were high; Pittsburgh had the second highest rents in the U.S., after New York City.
Counties of the second class, of which Allegheny County was the only one, had special requirements to separate land and building assessments; this requirement was ignored. There was corruption in the Assessment Office, and at the top, not among the civil servants. Civil servants who objected were transferred to underassessed Sewickley, a rich neighborhood, where they assessed the property higher.
To be continued.
Back when the two-rate property tax was enacted, its opponents invoked Henry George, trying to discredit the idea. The Board of Realtors and Chamber of Commerce were for it, but they didn’t talk much about that radical reformer Henry George.
Cars made it possible for people to move to the suburbs, and escape rack-rents. Earlier, people who worked in Pittsburgh’s industries had had to live close by, where rents were high; Pittsburgh had the second highest rents in the U.S., after New York City.
Counties of the second class, of which Allegheny County was the only one, had special requirements to separate land and building assessments; this requirement was ignored. There was corruption in the Assessment Office, and at the top, not among the civil servants. Civil servants who objected were transferred to underassessed Sewickley, a rich neighborhood, where they assessed the property higher.
To be continued.
