ALTER seeks to rekindle the "spirit of 1909"

Just under two years' from now sees the centenary of Lloyd-George's 1909 "People's Budget" that many regard as the launch pad of the Welfare State and the Liberal Reform agenda. Lib Dem campaign group ALTER (Action on Land Taxation and Economic Reform) is calling for a celebration of that centenary and a re-examination of some of the key issues that were left as "Unfinished Business" in the constitutional upheavals wrought by that government's radical liberal economic and social agenda.

Last year the Lib Dems, at their annual Conference, re-affirmed their support for Land Value Taxation (LVT) in stronger terms than for 50 years. At this year's Conference, Lib Dems will be asked to approve a Motion that will almost certainly contain no further policies on LVT but does at least call for the valuation of all urban land in the UK, explicitly for LVT, within a single Parliament (5 years). Only non-domestic land would be taxed in that period. The Land Tax motion will be debated alonmgside policy papers on Climate Change and Tackling Poverty & Inequality.

ALTER is therefore launching an appeal for other groups - from all political parties and none - wishing to commemorate the People's Budget to join their proposed "1909 Group". Chairman Cllr Tony Vickers says:

"It is uncanny how the same issues of embedded economic and social injustice which our forbears planned to tackle 100 years ago still haunt us. A century of Socialism and Monetarism has failed humanity. It is time we re-discovered our liberal economic traditions and stopped arguing about whether social and economic liberalism are 'left' or 'right'. The Land Question was answered 100 years ago - or more. The answer - LVT - brings the two wings of politics together harmoniously: you get an entreprenerial but just society, which we call Liberal Democracy. Add green to the mix and there was never a better time to resurrect LVT and address other structural economic inequities, and the hereditary peers are not around to stop us this century! It is time we planned finally to complete Lloyd-George's 'Unfinished Business'. As successors to his Liberal Party, it is down to Liberal Democrats to take this initiative."

Cllr Vickers is writing to the Chairs of the Green Liberal Democrats, other Lib Dem Groups with an interest in economic justice and all groups known to favour LVT, hoping to form an international committee to plan events in 2009. An initial meeting will be held during the Green Lib Dems' conference in Oxford on 9th/10th June.

Anyone wishing to find out about some of the aims of The 1909 Group and sign up to indicate their support should visit http://www.1909.org.uk/

A Discussion Paper by Tony Vickers on LVT Tax Shift Now! - regaining our common wealth was published by the think-tank CentreForum at the end of 2005 when the Lib Dems' Tax Commission began its work. This sets out how LVT might be implemented from 2009 onwards in Britain. CentreForum has now agreed to the paper being updated for this autumn by another publisher.