With Toronto City Council due to discuss an increase in the land transfer tax (LTT) on highend homes at an upcoming meeting, this independent analysis of the impacts of such a move is intended to help inform the deliberations. In this E-Brief, we evaluate the economic cost of raising LTT...

House prices have increased faster than average income in many countries over the last decade, raising concerns on the affordability of housing. We study the impact of transaction taxes on the real estate market and the effectiveness of tax subsidies to make housing more affordable. We show how...

We study the role of proximity to historical ethnic borders in determining individual land ownership in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following an instrumental variable strategy, we document that individuals have a lower likelihood of owning land near historical ethnic borders. In particular, the...

Abstract: This paper studies the change from lump-sum tax to property tax, which serves as a combat to inequality by shifting tax incidence from farmers to landowners, on farmers rebel and social conflicts. Using panel data from 575 counties over 262 years in China, we show that this progressive...