The Property Tax and Alternatives in Urban Development

Conceivably it is not beyond the scope of human imagination to devise a tax on forms of wealth which would not interfere with optimal allocation of land, that scarce resource in developing urban areas. This criterion could be met by a broad-gauge but pure tax on rents levied at the same rate throughout an urban area comprising a reasonably distinct economic entity, or by a tax which amounts to a strict quid pro quo for public services rendered.