PILT

Most land in the US began as Federal gifts to homesteaders or entities trying to attract them, to assemble towns that collected into States. The 13 'founding' States are exceptions. They began as a pastiche of assemblages and self-proclaimed inheritors of corporate or business charters from European monarch; the latter gifts of land decided 'top-down' by central planners with no sense of what they gifted. Such 'top-down' or central planning morphed into our first, Confederate, system of government. It only recognized and valued 'bottom-up' or local concerns. Its obvious flaws led to a stronger  Federal Government that gifted most of its lands to States. And felt obliged to make amends for not gifting it all. That led to what is called PILT, Payments in Lieu of (Property) Taxes.