The Property Tax in a Changing Environment
Author: United States. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
Publisher:
Published: 1974
Total Pages: 297
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: United States. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
Publisher:
Published: 1974
Total Pages: 297
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Gary Sands
Publisher:
Published: 2015
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9781558443419
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This report outlines the problems underlying the erosion of Detroit's property tax base--a factor that contributed to the city's bankruptcy in 2013. It offers recommendations for reform at the local and state level, as well as insight and analysis to help policy makers across the country protect their communities from economic decline.
Author: United States. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
Publisher:
Published: 1974
Total Pages: 316
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Mark Haveman
Publisher:
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9781558441675
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This policy focus report examines options that exist for timely and efficient aid to needy taxpayers, including circuit breaker programs that reduce taxes based on income level; truth in taxation measures; deferral options on property tax payments; partial exemptions on owner-occupied or homestead properties; and classified tax rates.
Author: William J. McCluskey
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 2013-01-04
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 1405126493
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This encyclopedia provides an in-depth analysis of issues related to property taxation, including law, public finance, decentralization, valuation, and property tax form. This encyclopedia examines the criteria applied to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of property tax. This text also discusses the main valuation methods and the economic principles underpinning them, and reviews the legal and administrative aspects of property tax. Providing topical and highly relevant material, this text also looks at various efforts to reform the property tax in countries that have systems in place deemed weak or ineffective.
Author: Daphne A. Kenyon
Publisher: Lincoln Inst of Land Policy
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 63
ISBN-13: 9781558441682
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →States experiencing taxpayer revolts among homeowners are tempted to reduce reliance on the property tax to fund schools. But a more targeted approach can provide property tax relief and improve state funding for public education. This policy focus report includes a comprehensive review of recent research on both property tax and school funding, and summarizes case studies of seven states-- California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. The majority of these states are heavily reliant on property tax revenues to fund schools. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the report recommends addressing property taxes and school funding separately.
Author: Richard F. Dye
Publisher: Lincoln Inst of Land Policy
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 32
ISBN-13: 9781558442047
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The land value tax is the focus of this Policy Focus Report, Assessing the Theory and Practice of Land Value Taxation. A concept dating back to Henry George, the land value tax is a variant of the property tax that imposes a higher tax rate on land than on improvements, or taxes only the land value. Many other types of changes in property tax policy, such as assessment freezes or limitations, have undesirable side effects, including unequal treatment of similarly situated taxpayers and distortion of economic incentives. The land value tax can enhance both the fairness and the efficiency of property tax collection, with few undesirable effects; land is effectively in fixed supply, so an increase in the tax rate on land value will raise revenue without distorting the incentives for owners to invest in and use their land. A land value tax has also been seen as a way to combat urban sprawl by encouraging density and infill development. Authors Richard F. Dye and Richard W. England examine the experience of those who have implemented the land value tax -- more than 30 countries around the world, and in the United States, several municipalities dating back to 1913, when the Pennsylvania legislature permitted Pittsburgh and Scranton to tax land values at a higher rate than building values. A 1951 statute gave smaller Pennsylvania cities the same option to enact a two-rate property tax, a variation of the land value tax. About 15 communities currently use this type of tax program, while others tried and rescinded it. Hawaii also has experience with two-rate taxation, and Virginia and Connecticut have authorized municipalities to choose a two-rate property tax. The land value tax has been subjected to studies comparing jurisdictions with and without it, and to legal challenges. A land value tax also raises administrative issues, particularly in the area of property tax assessments. Land value taxation is an attractive alternative to the traditional property tax, especially to much more problematic types of property tax measures such as assessment limitations, the authors conclude. A land value tax is best implemented if local officials use best assessing practices to keep land and improvement values up to date; phase in dual tax rates over several years; and include a tax credit feature in those communities where land-rich but income-poor citizens might suffer from land value taxation.
Author: Glenn W. Fisher
Publisher:
Published: 1996
Total Pages: 262
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This text provides a history of property tax in America, revealing the fundamental difficulties confronting all past attempts at designing an equitable and efficient system of property taxation during the past two centuries.
Author: John Yinger
Publisher: Elsevier
Published: 2013-10-22
Total Pages: 233
ISBN-13: 1483265765
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Property Taxes and House Values: The Theory and Estimation of Intrajurisdictional Property Tax Capitalization explains the link between property taxes and house values and elaborates public policies that alter property taxes, such as assessment reform and state aid. This book introduces the concept of property tax capitalization and discusses the importance of tax capitalization for public policy. The topics include the simple algebra of property tax capitalization, inherent econometric difficulties, and household utility maximization problem. The anticipation of revaluation, revaluation in Brockton, and nonlinear two-stage least squares estimator are also described. This text likewise covers the estimates of the degree of property tax capitalization and horizontal equity of tax rate changes. This publication is recommended for academics, public officials, and homeowners.
Author: Daphne A. Kenyon
Publisher:
Published: 2012
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9781558442337
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The use of property tax incentives for business by local governments throughout the United States has escalated over the last 50 years. While there is little evidence that these tax incentives are an effective instrument to promote economic development, they cost state and local governments $5 to $10 billion each year in forgone revenue. Three major obstacles can impede the success of property tax incentives as an economic development tool. First, incentives are unlikely to have a significant impact on a firm's profitability since property taxes are a small part of the total costs for most businesses--averaging much less than 1 percent of total costs for the U.S. manufacturing sector. Second, tax breaks are sometimes given to businesses that would have chosen the same location even without the incentives. When this happens, property tax incentives merely deplete the tax base without promoting economic development. Third, widespread use of incentives within a metropolitan area reduces their effectiveness, because when firms can obtain similar tax breaks in most jurisdictions, incentives are less likely to affect business location decisions. This report reviews five types of property tax incentives and examines their characteristics, costs, and effectiveness: property tax abatement programs; tax increment finance; enterprise zones; firm-specific property tax incentives; and property tax exemptions in connection with issuance of industrial development bonds. Alternatives to tax incentives should be considered by policy makers, such as customized job training, labor market intermediaries, and business support services. State and local governments also can pursue a policy of broad-based taxes with low tax rates or adopt split-rate property taxation with lower taxes on buildings than land.State policy makers are in a good position to increase the effectiveness of property tax incentives since they control how local governments use them. For example, states can restrict the use of incentives to certain geographic areas or certain types of facilities; publish information on the use of property tax incentives; conduct studies on their effectiveness; and reduce destructive local tax competition by not reimbursing local governments for revenue they forgo when they award property tax incentives.Local government officials can make wiser use of property tax incentives for business and avoid such incentives when their costs exceed their benefits. Localities should set clear criteria for the types of projects eligible for incentives; limit tax breaks to mobile facilities that export goods or services out of the region; involve tax administrators and other stakeholders in decisions to grant incentives; cooperate on economic development with other jurisdictions in the area; and be clear from the outset that not all businesses that ask for an incentive will receive one.Despite a generally poor record in promoting economic development, property tax incentives continue to be used. The goal is laudable: attracting new businesses to a jurisdiction can increase income or employment, expand the tax base, and revitalize distressed urban areas. In a best case scenario, attracting a large facility can increase worker productivity and draw related firms to the area, creating a positive feedback loop. This report offers recommendations to improve the odds of achieving these economic development goals.