Follow up on Tax Examination

Good news: On Friday, I received a call from the Revenue Agent, telling me that my 2017 tax return was basically OK; there were minor discrepancies, but less than $300, so they weren’t demanding more money from me. This was good news; incidentally, I recall reading of cases of the IRS demanding substantial amounts of money from people or seizing their property because of alleged tiny errors, but perhaps these are rare abuses, or perhaps the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights has done some real good.

Georgist Conference in Pittsburgh, Part Six

To resume the morning session on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, Joshua Vincent was talking about the history of the Georgist movement in Pennsylvania. One earlier point that I neglected is that Percy Williams was the city assessor of Pittsburgh; later, Allegheny County took over assessments.

Moving forward again, in the 1990s, the Henry George Foundation of America began using computers and professional marketing materials; they had been using paper tax rolls. Joshua Vincent took over from Dr. Steven Cord, and they were involved in getting Allentown and Harrisburg to go two-rate.

The Allentown City Council passed LVT eight times. The mayor vetoed it, taking orders from the owner of the Allentown Fairgrounds. Pat Toomey, a businessman and now a Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, joined with the head of the local Teamsters Union to support land value taxation. Every time Toomey I proved a building p, he paid more in property tax. Also, there was the wage tax, the inventory tax, and a nuisance tax. Pat Toomey read Progress and Poverty.

The union and the businessman joined to change the Allentown City Charter. The car dealers, the newspaper editor, and the owner of the Allentown Fairgrounds were opposed.

The voters voted two to one for change.

The bad guys got another election. The Teamsters manned phone banks. Various citizens and HGFA volunteers fanned out and knocked on doors. Mailings were sent to every property owner in town, telling them how taxing land more than buildings would affect them (it would save most of them money). Steven Cord was charming, knocked on doors.

The other side had television commercials and an airplane flying a banner.

The people voted again, and tax reform won again, by two to one.

To be continued.