property taxes

Community gardens and small-scale farms could soon start sprouting in California's cities thanks to a new law that allows municipalities to lower property taxes on small plots of land in exchange for at least five years of agricultural use.

October 6, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

In theory, cities might be able to revitalize their economies and infrastructure. But in reality, state governments can create all kinds of obstacles to city policy.

August 23, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

Unlike the United Sates, Canada, and Great Britain, few countries raise substantial revenues from property taxes. The Economist argues that property taxes are among the most efficient, stable, and progressive forms of taxation and should be embraced.

July 3, 2013 - The Economist

New York prohibits County Industrial Development Agencies from granting tax breaks to retail projects, but will waive this rule if the project is a "tourist attraction." The Onondaga County IDA thus declared a proposed Costco a tourist attraction.

April 29, 2013 - Syracuse.com

First came the floods from torrential rains and record storm surges. Now, long after the flood waters have receded, localities across the New York region are bracing for receding finances from declining property tax revenues.

January 26, 2013 - The New York Times

The Washington Post has found that the D.C. government reduced the assessed value of commercial properties owned by some of the city's biggest developers last year to the tune of $2.6 billion, which translates to $48 million in lost tax revenue.

August 8, 2012 - The Washington Post

So says the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, releasing a new report that says this all-too-common strategy rarely pays off.

July 4, 2012 - The Boston Globe

Are cities across the country acting negligently in ignoring the property tax implications of different development types? Joseph Minicozzi thinks so, and he's done the math to prove it.

January 23, 2012 - Joseph Minicozzi

A group of lawyers in California has filed a lawsuit to overturn the two-thirds legislative voting requirement of Proposition 13, the law that limits increases in the state's taxes -- but not property taxes.

December 30, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jeffery R. Levine asks if, given the reliance on property taxes, the planning process is truly revenue-blind.

September 26, 2011 - Planning Commissioners Journal

Delinquent properties are scattered throughout Philadelphia, and they collectively owe nearly $500 million in taxes. This is a major problem for the city, and new legislation is hoping to tackle it.

August 17, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A comic book is helping municipal employees in Brazil to understand how to catalog land for the collection of property taxes.

July 26, 2011 - At Lincoln House

Payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) are a popular new way for cash-strapped cities to add to their revenue by swapping voluntary payments from nonprofits for property taxes. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy evaluates this novel practice.

March 31, 2011 - Land Lines

California Governor Jerry Brown is settling into his new office by taking on one of the state's most controversial laws: the property tax increase limits enforced by Proposition 13.

January 6, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Local property taxes are often levied disproportionately on multifamily developers, resulting in higher taxes for apartment-dwellers, says Stephen Smith.

November 30, 2010 - Market Urbanism

Do they work? That's the question as state officials investigate New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program.

November 29, 2010 - The Record

Mayors in metropolitan Vancouver are facing two options for expanding transit service in the region -- and a hard decision about how to generate the funding to make it happen.

November 11, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

While cities across the country are raising fees to counteract the recession, the village of Schaumburg, Illinois is bucking the trend and decreasing or even eliminating municipal fees.

September 30, 2010 - NBC

Colorado Springs, Colorado has some of the lowest property taxes in the nation, and its heavily right-wing residents like it that way. But with the recession, the lack of tax income is causing some heavy cuts to city services.

September 8, 2010 - Governing Magazine

Seattle has a long list of transportation projects on the drawing boards, but little money to bring them into reality. So local officials are considering a plan to create transportation taxing districts to help fund the projects.

August 14, 2010 - The Seattle Times