* Quoted from the Ford Franchise Tax Act of New York. 
8 
THE A B C OF TAXATION 
public a full and fair equivalent for the privilege 
conceded to it. 
The monopolies and special privileges which should 
properly share with land values the burden of taxa 
tion, may be partially enumerated as follows: the 
private appropriation of natural resources such as 
gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal mines, oil fields, 
and water powers; all franchises of steam and electric 
railways; all other public franchises, granted to one 
or several persons incorporated, from which all other 
people are excluded, and which include all “rights, 
authority, or permission to construct, maintain, or 
operate in, under, above, upon, or through any streets, 
highways, or public places, mains, pipes, tanks, con 
duits, or wires, with their appurtenances for conducting 
water, steam, heat, light, power, gas, oil, or other 
substance, or electricity for telegraphic, telephonic, 
or other purposes.”* 
The reforms contemplated by the single tax would 
leave the State and the individual to deal together 
exactly as individuals deal with one another in ordinary 
business. Persons desiring special privileges would 
rent them from the State or the municipality, just as 
they now rent them from individuals and corporations, 
and on similar terms, fixed from year to year. When 
paid for in this way, the special privilege feature 
would be eliminated. Then there really would be no 
special privileges, and there would be need of no other 
taxation. Hence, we say, the least the public can 
do is to tax and collect upon these special privileges, 
including ground rent, a sum sufficient to defray 
all public expenses.