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Taxes On Land And Property Essay

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Taxes on land and property have both fiscal and non-fiscal effects. The revenue such taxes produce is often an important source of finance for local governments. The extent to which those governments have control over property taxes is thus often an important determinant of the extent to which they are able to make autonomous expenditure decisions. The level, design, and control of property taxation are thus, in many countries, critical elements in effective decentralization policy.

But property taxes are not always local taxes, and whether they are or are not local, like all taxes they must also be considered from a more general policy perspective. From this perspective, property taxes may be viewed, depending upon one’s assumptions, the environment in which they are applied, and their design and effectiveness, as an equitable and efficient way of raising revenue or they may be considered to be a regressive and undesirable form of public finance.

A large number of studies have shown that;
1. Property taxes are generally heavier on non-residential (and especially commercial) properties than on residential (single-family) homes.
2. When there is considerable local discretion with respect to property taxes, there are also likely to be great differences in effective tax rates.

In the instant case, we will discuss the system of taxation on the returns on property holding as prevalent in the USA and evaluate its effect on, equity, housing prices, and the economy.

2. Capital

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