"In 1879, Henry George...published Progress and Poverty, a scathing polemic that blamed all economic ills on the private ownership of land.[he] found it perverse that we tax productive activities like work and innovative investment while letting landowners grow rich simply because they scooped up property at the right time. "

People don't really get rich simply by owning land -- well, not since the Industrial Revolution in early 1800s. One tax on land would have made sense then, but it would not make sense now. People now make money on land by buying and selling it -- as an investment. By taxing land now, you would be doing what you are trying to prevent, namely, taxing productive behavior.

I can't think of a modern day equivalent to land 200 years ago. The closest I can get is inheritance -- tax people for winning the lucky sperm club.