Urban property taxation in developing countries

William Dillinger

No 41, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: The property tax is the most widely used source of municipal tax revenue in the developing world, but its current yield is often insubstantial. This paper has two objectives. The first is to assess the policy arguments for the use of property taxes as a municipal revenue source. The second is to review the revenue performance of property taxation and define practical ways to improve it. Tax policy must ensure that the rates are set high enough to make tax collecting worthwhile. Administrative reforms should support simple procedures for property discovery and valuation, suited to the characteristics of the local tax base and the skills of the local authorities. Central governments can achieve reform on a nationwide scale, even where the property tax is locally administered, by delivering standardized packages of training and technical assistance to local governments.

Keywords: Public Sector Management and Reform; Banks&Banking Reform; Environmental Economics&Policies; Public Sector Economics&Finance; Municipal Financial Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1988-08-31
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