It has been said that “tax administration is tax policy” (Casanegra de
Jantscher 1990: 179), and this is never more true than for property tax, which
Fiscal Administration in Local Government: An Overview 35
is usually identified as the best tax choice for collecting autonomous local
government revenue. The property tax base is normally established by
government agents (either government employees or private contractors
working under government standards), not by taxpayers, so their determinations of value—the values that establish what tax policy is—emerge directly
from administrative rulings. In this context, transparency, accountability, and
openness of appeal are crucial for acceptable administration and for some
assurance to taxpayers of equitable treatment. The inseparability of policy
and administration is far more pronounced for revenue administration than
for any of the other tasks of local fiscal administration.
revenue programs, including responsibility for self-administration, under
these circumstances should not be taken as evidence of what would be
possible if the localities were allowed to use a productive revenue source
(a broad tax on land or real property, for instance).27 Reforms in Tanzania
show the potential for improving real property tax revenue by making sure
that all properties are on the tax rolls, assessing properties at realistic values,
levying a meaningful rate on the tax base, and vigorously collecting the tax
that is levied (Kelly and Musunu 2000). Similar prospects for improved
revenues have been demonstrated for Kenya (Kelly 2000).