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The Georgist Registry Global Report: Africa
SOUTH AFRICA
Godfrey Dunkley, President,ASSOCIATION FOR INCENTIVE REVENUE RESEARCH
Reporter, South Africa School of Economic Science
10 Constantia Close
Muizenberg, 7945, Republic of South Africa
Fax/Phone: (021) 788-6015
The main supporters of a land tax in South Africa are the students of the School of Economic Science (which conducts a three year series of Henry George classes). The most active graduates, Stephen Meintzes and Michael Jacques, co-authors of The Trial of Chaka Dlamini, discussed site value rating with a large number of government officials and business leaders after the publication of their book. Maurice Daniel has many letters published in the local press in Port Elizabeth and occasionally in the national press. He corresponds regularly with government ministers. And Dunkley has had interviews with many different leaders over the last ten years including a previous State President, ministers, and others.
AIRR newsletters, written by Dunkley, as well as copies of Land and Liberty, are distributed to subscribers and to members of parliament and other officials.
In the Republic of South Africa, the land tax idea has come into the public dialog. Minister Derek Hanekom is pushing for a land tax as a means of land distribution, but his portfolio only covers rural/farming land and through lack of understanding and fear, the farmers oppose any form of land tax. Hanekom has made it clear that the land tax should cover all land according to market value and should be offset by a reduction of a similar amount off other taxes, particularly those which are heavy on marginal land.
The matter has been referred to the Katz Tax Commission, but in spite of numerous submissions to them, they have never called any Georgists to give evidence.
In June, 1995 Professor Riel Franzsen and Godfrey Dunkley made a presentation to a Parliamentary Select Committee on Land Affairs. Some opposition members of parliament have shown interest and made promises, but, so far, nothing significant has resulted. Dunkley put in a submission to the Constitutional Assembly Draft Committee on the need for duties to go along with the Bill of Rights; but, so far, no results.
Unemployment is high in the country, in some areas up to 50% and a large number of marginal apartheid border industries have closed because of high taxes and withdrawal of subsidies.
In Zimbabwe, in spite of recommendations that they consider a land tax at the time of independence, the Mugabie government would not listen. They squandered Britain's allowance made to assist land distribution by paying high prices and giving choice farms to wealthy blacks. Now they will take property from whites and only compensate them for the improvements.
Malawi's the Minister of Land and Valuation, together with his First Secretary attended the International Union for Land Value Taxation and Free Trade's conference at Roskilde, Denmark, in 1995. The minister is particularly interested in finding ways of pricing non-productive white owners off their land so that it can be put to use. Malawi has recently done away with the quota system which allowed large farmers to purchase from small black farmers at a third of the price which they received on resale -- one of the former President Banda's crimes against his own people.
For specific information about Ethiopia, write to:
K. G. Hiwot
PO Box 7591
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Throughout Africa, one finds land lies idle for want of labor and labor idle for want of land. Thus, when appeals go out to assist with the integration of Georgist principles into the laws presently being drawn for Africa's new nations, it is critical that Georgists respond.
http://www.earthrights.net/docs/gr_africa.html