Land Transfer Fees for Urban Infrastructure Development in China

Using the data from China Urban Development Statistical Yearbook (Zhongguo chengshi jianshe tongji nianjian), 2000–2008, this paper systematically describes the trends and patterns of land transfer fee and its usage for urban infrastructure. This study concentrates on the following research questions. First, it clarifies the national trend and pattern of land transfer fee from 1990 to 2007. Second, this paper further discusses provincial disparity and finds out the major factors that influence land transfer fee level. Third, this paper relates land transfer fee with infrastructure expenditure structure; it answers the following question: which expenditure item(s) is (are) significantly associated with land transfer fee? How does this relationship vary among regions?

Keywords: Infrastructure Finance, Land Finance, Land, China, Urban