This page features research funded through GWIPP and performed by Lindsay Clarke.

Title: Intra-Metropolitan Area Fiscal Capacity Disparities and the Property Tax: The Washington DC Region
Researcher(s): Michael Bell, Lindsay Clark, Joe Cordes, Hal Wolman (GWIPP)
Funding Source: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Start Date: 8/1/2004
Research Status: Completed

Summary:
The study adapts a methodology developed by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, to calculate disparities in the revenue capacity of local governments in the Washington,DC area.  It then estimates the effect a shift to a real property tax on land only would have on these disparities.  We found that the major disparities were between suburban jurisdictions; Washington D.C., the core center city in the metropolitan area, had an average revenue capacity.  When revenue capacity was recalculated assuming a real property tax on land only, we found this had a slight positive effect on ameloriating differencesin revenue-rising ability.