ases it is
not to be if this would defeat the evident and just intention of the
legislature.]

[Footnote 5: The figures do not include returns from incorporated
places having a population of less than 2500 where the poll taxes may
be a considerable sum.]

[Footnote 6: Particularly the difficulties noted in the next chapter,
sees. 2-5.]

[Footnote 7: See Vol. I, p. 374.]

CHAPTER 17

PROPERTY AND CORPORATION TAXES

Sec. 1. Importance of taxation as a public question. Sec. 2. The general
property tax; nature and difficulty. Sec. 3. Ambiguity of the term
"property." Sec. 4. Various temporizing policies. Sec. 5. A consistent policy
of wealth-taxation. Sec. 6. Needed reform of assessment. Sec. 7. Separation of
state and local taxation. Sec. 8. Federal taxation of merchandise in
commerce. Sec. 9. The proposal of the single tax on land values. Sec. 10.
Various reforms in land taxation. Sec. 11. Difficulties in taxing
corporations. Sec. 12. Special taxes on banks. Sec. 13. Special taxes on
insurance. Sec. 14. Special taxes on transportation. Sec. 15. Alternative
policies of corporate taxation. Sec. 16. General plan for corporate
taxation.

Sec. 1. #Importance of taxation as a public question.# The discussion of
taxation has accompanied the growth of free government in England and
America from the time of Magna Charta. The control of the public purse
has been found to give the key to political power, and therefore it
has frequently become the occasion of conflict between the monarch and
the people. But in our own national history since the adoption of the
Constitution, taxation has not had a leading place in politics except
in the one aspect of the tariff. The constitutional question of
states' rights long absorbed most of the interest of citizens and
of legislators. But with the quickened attention of the public to
economic questions, the problem of taxation became of increasing
importance.

It has come to be recognized that taxation can be made to play, and
is bound to play, a leading part as an agency in the distribution of
wealth, and thus it is the center of much of the ardent controversy
regarding social reform. Ultimately, almost every proposal of social
change and betterment involves some cost. The question then must be
answered. Who is to receive the benefits and upon whom and how shall
new taxes be levied to pay the cost? Further, it is often urged that
this result of taxation in r