Land Lines April 2006
Land Use Efficiency, Food Security, and Farmland Preservation in China
China is land poor. Only about one-third of its total land area can be utilized productively for agriculture. Several measures have been introduced with the aim of protecting farmland, especially farmland with the greatest production potential.
Large-scale Urban Interventions
Large-scale urban redevelopment projects raise many questions about the impacts of subsequent development. They often use new fiscal or regulatory instruments, involve a large network of agents and institutions, and affect land prices and infrastructure.
Who Pays the Property Tax?
A critical aspect of the property tax, but one that is rarely addressed in public debate, is its “economic incidence,” or who actually bears the burden of the tax, as opposed to its statutory incidence, or who literally pays the tax.
This issue looks at land use efficiency, food security, and farmland preservation in China; and lessons learned about the effects of large-scale interventions on urban development in Brazil. It also attempts to answer the long-standing, critical question of who actually bears the burden of residential property taxes.