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Tue Dec 26 09:25:35 2006 |
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> What tax policy did or
> would von Mises espouse?
> Enlighten us, please!
> Mason Gaffney
In his book *Socialism*, Mises espoused a policy of
very low taxes for a minimal state that only protects
persons and property. He said, if taxes are low, it
does not matter what is taxed.
There are passages in Socialism that indicate that
Mises appreciated the land issue, writing (with
apparant disapproval) that production and goods were
taxed much more than land, and that land holdings came
from conquest and not from market dynamics.
Specifically, he mentioned, with disapproval, the
large land holdings of the German Junkers.
In discussing war in Human Action, Mises states that
war-time price controls are not necessary, as the
state can obtain resources by taxation. Thus, Mises
did not absolutely oppose taxation.
Mises did not endorse land taxes. But he did not put
forth fallacious arguments against taxing land, as
some other economists have done.
Fred Foldvary
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