A new book aimed at 'grassroots politicians' who want to quickly understand why Tax Shifting is today not only more vital than ever but also more achievable is due to be published in time for the Party conference season. An on-line draft called Tax Shift Now! - Regaining Our Common Wealth has been available for 18 months but now the author has found a publisher for the printed version.

Land policy researcher and Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Vickers, who helped launch the 1909 Group, invites people to discuss the book here in the forums at 1909.org.uk.

Tony Vickers has been a member of the Lib Dems' Tax Commission, set up by Charles Kennedy after the last General Election, which has just submitted its second and final report to the Party. He has studied the politics and techniques of modern property taxation for ten years and is a Fellow of the American Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, as well as lecturer in Green Tax at Kingston University London.

The book was part-funded in 2005 by former Joseph Rowntree Foundation Director Lord Richard Best, to inform the debate on land value taxation which was centred during the current Parliament on inquiries into housing land supply by Kate Barker and into local government finance by Sir Michael Lyons.

Vickers touches on the ethics, history and potential impact on modern society of the ideas of Henry (and Lloyd) George before setting out a possible political 'route map' to full UK implementation of LVT over the next ten years: "2009 could be when a modern Peoples Budget is enacted - but will Gordon Brown take up the mantle of the Webbs and Beveridge?", says Vickers. His book contains a comprehensive section on further reading and - in the longer online version attached below - contains numerous links to other websites.