Pennsylvania's Success with Local Property Tax Reform

A bstract Fifteen cities in Pennsylvania are pioneering an innovative approach to local tax reform that harnesses market incentives for urban renewal .
Opting for the so-called "two-rate" or "split-rate" property tax , these cities are lowering taxes on buildings, thereby encouraging improvements and renovations , while raising the tax on land values, thus discouraging land speculation . The resulting infill development as indicated by increased building permits means downtown jobs , efficient use of urban infrastructure, an improved housing stock, and less urban sprawl .
Cities in other states are poised to follow Pennsylvania's example.     

Property taxes and property values: evidence from Proposition

We examine the effect of Proposition  on revenues and housing prices in Massachusetts. Communities that were initially constrained by the law saw large increases in state aid and the use of fees. We use these initial constraints as instruments for changes in other components of revenue while treating the change in the property tax as exogenously determined by Proposition  . Our results strongly suggest that communities that were able to increase their property taxes more rapidly saw greater increases in their housing values in the period following passage of the law.     

Why do U.S. states adopt public–private partnership enabling legislation?

Public–private partnerships, or PPPs, have the potential to address a range of urban economic issues. As of late 2012, thirty-two U.S. states and Puerto Rico had enacted legislation enabling the use of PPPs. PPP enabling laws address such issues as the treatment of unsolicited PPP proposals, prior legislative approval of PPP contracts, and the mixing of public and private funds. We utilize 13 key elements of PPP enabling laws to develop an index reflecting the degree to which a state’s law is encouraging or discouraging of private infrastructure investment. We examine why states pass such laws, and why some states pass legislation that is relatively more favorable to private investment. We consider demand side, supply side, and political/institutional drivers of passage. Vehicle registration growth and greater traffic congestion both increase the likelihood of passage, as does political agreement between a state’s executive and legislative branches. Traffic congestion, growth in per-capita income, and the percent of Republicans in the state’s House of Representatives all increase a law’s favorability to private investment. There is little indication that traditional public finance variables, such as federal highway aid, affect the likelihood of passage or the favorability of a state’s PPP enabling law.     

Challenges to the Ideal Property Tax

A bstract . In the 19th century state-appointed tax revision commissions began to influence the reform of the property tax. By 1893, some 28 commissions had been appointed. Their remarkably similar calls for reform set the parameters for much of the academic research in the 20th century when this tax instrument was transformed from a local tax to a federal-state-local exaction. As now administered, the property tax is no longer a unified tax. Separate assessment criteria make it a tax on mines, utilities, business property, household personalty and on housing. The latter is modified in different ways by homestead exemption (41 states), circuit breakers (50 sates) and use of classified schedules (17 states). Along with unprofessional and inaccurate assessments as well as politicized assessment practices, this has changed the tax to a general title for disparate fiscal activities in the 68,000 jurisdictions that use the property tax.     

Do Urban Tax Rates Converge?

A bstract . Using a multiple regression model that seeks to explain why tax rates vary, the hypothesis is tested that similarly sized cities with similar economic functions would tend to have property tax rates that converged. What variations there are in an array of urban tax rates of 20 cities in the 100,000 to 200,000 class seem to be explained by density of settlement and by the extent to which non-property tax sources bulk importantly in total urban revenues. The inference is drawn that convergence is in fact observable. Convergence would, of course, imply tax competition as among these cities.     

Community Classification and Growth in Effective Property Tax Rates: A Case Study of Rate Divergence in 39 Rhode Island Towns

Abstract . A multiple regression analysis of cross-sectional data for 39 Rhode Island towns indicates that variation in the level of effective property tax rates among communities can be substantially explained. The determinants are a community's population density, median family income, real property per capita, and the ratio of commercial to total property tax, revenue. Population density serves as a criterion for judging the “cityness” (1) of a community, that is, its degree of urbanization. A positive relationship exists between population density and effective property tax rate. Communities with the highest population density tend to have the highest tax rates. This relationship is shown in each analyzed year. Covariance analysis applied to the regression coefficients for the various years reveals a significant change in the population density coefficient. This coefficient change indicates a divergence in effective property tax rates among city, suburban, and rural communities.     

Political Economy of Property Tax Reform: Hawaii's Experiment with Split‐Rate Property Taxation

Economic theory suggests that switching from a general property tax to a split‐rate tax increases land use efficiency and stimulates urban core development while preserving the environment and reducing urban sprawl. Under split‐rate property taxation, land is typically taxed at a significantly higher rate than improvements. Beginning in 1965 Hawaii experimented with a statewide split‐rate property tax system to encourage economic growth and effect land reform. The experiment was ended in 1977. Following the transfer of property taxing powers to the counties in 1978, some counties brought back the split‐rate property tax at times. Since 2006, Kauai County has adopted the unusual practice of taxing improvements at a higher rate than land for most property classes. This article chronicles and explains the rationale behind Hawaii's state and county experiments with split‐rate property taxation.     

A Reply to Liu's Critique

A bstract . In his comment on our paper. "The Economic Effects of Land Value Taxation: An Empirical Test," Professor Ben-chieh Liu criticizes the structure and specification of our model and indicates the existence of data deficiencies and testing problems. Professor Liu raises some interesting questions, but he does not offer any concrete evidence to refute our original conclusion that the land value tax (LVT) is not superior to the real property tax in terms of stimulating urban development. Since the LVT represents a radical departure from current tax policy , which would lead to significant changes in the distribution of income , the burden of empirical evidence rests on those who believe that it is superior.     

论物业税与现行房地产税收的关系

目前房价居高不下,政府调控房地产市场的措施陆续出台,在众多调控措施中,备受关注的一项措施是开征物业税。在开征物业税的过程中,必然会涉及到如何处理物业税与现行房地产税收的关系。对此,专家学者从不同角度发表了各自的看法。本文认为,现行的房产税、城镇土地使用税、城市维护建设税、教育费附加应该并入物业税,耕地占用税应并入土地出让金,土地增值税应该取消或并入物业税,契税应继续保留。我国应该通过正确处理物业税与现行房地产税收的关系,健全房地产税收体系。     

Vertical externalities in cigarette taxation: Do tax revenues go up in smoke?

In federal systems, where tax bases are joint property, the tax policy of one level of government affects the tax base of the other. This paper examines the interdependence of US federal and state cigarette tax rates. Our results suggest that states may reduce their cigarette tax rate by as much as 48 cents per dollar increase in the federal tax rate. Thus, a federal tax hike may reduce the amount of generated state tax revenues both directly (the overall tax rate rises and the state tax base declines), and indirectly (the state tax rate declines).     

The Effectiveness of Legislation Controlling Gun Usage

A bstract    Results from past research on the effectiveness of gun control legislation have been mixed. This study posits that one of the reasons for these conflicting results is the use of individual laws as the major variable. Instead, this study uses a holistic and comprehensive measure of state gun control laws, grouping states into extreme and lax gun control states. A multivariate linear regression analysis is used to investigate the relationship between a set of determinants, including the holistic gun control measure, and firearm deaths per 100,000 inhabitants of each state. The results show that comprehensive gun control legislation indeed lowers the number of gun-related deaths anywhere between one to almost six per 100,000 individuals in those states that have the most extreme gun-related legislation. Our study also reveals that socioeconomic and law enforcement factors play equally important roles in containing gun-related fatalities. These findings suggest that gun-related deaths have a variety of causes and that attempts to legislate a solution to this problem will need to be correspondingly complex and multifaceted.     

The effect of property taxes on urban areas

The effects of property taxes on urban areas are studied relative to a local wage tax. The changes in urban population and in the consumption and price of housing are determined in cities with various types of production sectors. Distortions in the composition of housing and residential density patterns are also reported. Examples are constructed to quantify the size of the changes and test whether property taxes are capitalized into land values.     

完善民办教育立法的建议

民办教育在我国教育事业中有着举足轻重的地位,《民办教育促进法》的颁布,带来了民办教育的快速发展。因民办学校自身问题和教育体制方面的问题,挫伤了投资人投资办学的积极性,影响了民办教育的发展。对此必须在实践中不断完善民办教育立法,规定界定营利性民办学校与非营利性民办学校的条件,制定不同的税收政策;完善民办学校法人财产权的立法,确保民办学校法人财产不受非法侵害;细化民办学校投资人获得合理回报的立法,鼓励投资人投资办学的积极性;细化民办学校联合办学的立法,优化教育资源的使用效率。     

物业税与城市蔓延之关系研究述评

对城市蔓延的相关问题作了简要综述,并重点介绍了研究物业税与城市蔓延间关系的国内外文献。物业税与城市蔓延的理论研究和实证分析都说明,物业税与城市空间形态特别是城市规模之间存在着紧密的联系。指出应当从城市资源空间配置的角度开展更多物业税方面的研究,并在中国现有房地产市场中实践。     

The Interdependence of Municipal and County Police Forces:

A bstract — In our politically fragmented urban areas, sheriff's police services, like all municipal services, are distributed free of any direct charge. This study attempts to determine the optimal quantities of county police activity each political district should receive as well as their matching tax bills. The outcome of the analysis is pronouncedly influenced by the peculiar nature of externalities that occur in the provision of urban law enforcement services. Achievement of optimality conditions indicates an inverse relationship between sheriff's per capita expenditures and per capita tax base values of the participating political units.     

关于物业税税基批量评估体系的版块区片划分的实证探究

物业税的改革立法是我国房地产发展改革的大势所趋。物业税税基的评估体系建立是近年来的正在热议的课题。建立物业税税基批量评估体系,自然地引出了划分评估区域版块及区段的概念。以往对划分版块和区段的研究仅限于对概念描述和理论的分析,对版块及区段划分的实证研究较少。以大连市作为实证研究的对象,通过对大连市区进行板块及区段的划分,为批量评估体系的研究提供基础的理论及数据支持。在进行版块和区段划分的同时,找出了影响房地产价格的各种宏观及微观的影响因素,利用房地产传统的估价方法,评估出版块及区段的基准价格,为批量评估的进一步研究工作提供了一定的实践经验。     

Is the New England Urban Tax Rate Too High?

A bstract . Whether urban property tax rates in New England are too high is a matter of proper comparison. 20 cities in the 100,000 to 200,000 class size ate compared in respect of urban financial structure, economic characteristics, and tax rates to determine in what sense taxes could be said to be high. Average tax bills , measures of tax burden and dependence on revenue sharing were found to be significantly higher in New England. This was true despite the evidence that these cities–selected to be representative of many regions in the nation–were essentially alike. One emergent conclusion is the difference in tax rates reflects an actual difference in demand. That difference seems traceable to the one outstanding difference, the density of settlement.     

The impact of positive property tax differentials on the timing of development

To date, few empirical studies have focused on the location decision by residential developers in response to changes in the property tax. Based on a dynamic time-to-development model by Turnbull, this paper finds, using 17 years of parcel level data from Saint Louis County, Missouri, that higher than average tax rates increase the time-to-development for vacant parcels by between 4 and 11%, all else equal. Additionally this paper finds that the tax differential effect is cumulative, resulting in about a 20% increase in the time-to-development for the parcel facing the average number of years with a higher than average rate. These results support the analytical results by both Turnbull [Turnbull, G.K., 1988. The effects of local taxes and public services on residential development patterns. Journal of Regional Science, 28 (4), 541–562.] and McMillen [McMillen, D.P., 1990. The timing and duration of development tax rate increases. Journal of Urban Economics, 28, 1–18.] that the property tax can distort residential capital markets leading to inefficient urban growth, or sprawl.     

Use-Value Assessment Tax Expenditures in Urban Areas

Use-value assessment is the practice of valuing land for property tax purposes in its current use, rather than at its full market value. This practice is widespread in the U.S. and is intended to reduce the property tax burden on agricultural land near urban areas and slow the pace of land development. We examine the foregone property tax revenue, or tax expenditure, due to use-value assessment. Data sets for two case studies are employed in empirical estimation of spatial models of the difference between market value and use value, providing the analytic basis for estimates of tax expenditures.     

Tourism, Vacation Home Development and Residential Tax Burden:

Abstract . Differences in property tax rates among communities within a regional economy are a source of inefficiency and inequity. Less developed rural areas where natural amenities exist have often attempted to use the tourist industry as a means of importing economic development. Promoters of vacation home development argue that the impact on the local tax base is positive. However, the quantitative research in this paper indicates that under certain circumstances, vacation home development has the effect of increasing the tax burden on residential property.