We retired Tax Justice Blog in April 2017. For new content on issues related to tax justice, go to www.justtaxesblog.org
Governors and legislatures love giving their citizens “property tax relief,” and mayors and county councils struggle to balance their budgets when it happens. All tax credits and tax breaks cost governments revenues, so the goal is to tailor programs and target cuts to accomplish the desired policy outcome.
Most property tax credits, however, aren’t well targeted.
Three new policy briefs from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) describe the various options available to policy makers seeking to reduce property taxes.
These are part of a series of Policy Briefs designed to provide a quick introduction to all the basic tax policy ideas that are important to understanding current debates at the state and federal level, all of which are here. The three newly revised revised Policy Briefs on property taxes are:
• Capping Assessed Valuation Growth: A Primer
• Property Tax Homestead Exemptions