This paper reviews the existing literature on the property tax exemption for nonprofit organizations and identifies gaps to be addressed in future research. We start by examining justifications and existing eligibility criteria for the property tax exemption, followed by studies of the magnitude...

The property tax was originally intended to be a tax on the stock of wealth, in essence all property – real and personal, tangible and intangible. Estimating the property tax base without any exemptions or other legal deviations from market value is an exercise that permits the discussion to...

New York's School Tax Relief Program, STAR, provides state-funded property tax relief for homeowners. Like a matching grant, STAR changes the price of public services, thereby altering the incentives of voters and school officials and leading to unintended consequences. Using data for New York...

Forest property tax incentives were developed in the early 1900s to enhance onsite forest management and ensure predictable timber supplies, but their ongoing contributions to landscape connectivity between public and private forests are not well understood. We measured spatial connectivity...

The law governing tax exemption of church property illustrates the problem of classifying institutions and activities of the independent sector along religious lines. The “independent sector” is comprised of a variety of institutions, like families, schools, charities, churches,...

Boston's high housing costs reflect a historic failure to build enough units to satisfy demand. Interest rates and construction costs have risen recently, and the flow of new market-rate residential housing projects has slowed. To spur more construction, the City of Boston is considering various...