Property taxes should be a key source of funding for local governments to provide local goods, however, the method of property tax collection in Benin often gives rise to opposition between the population and the collection agents. As such, property tax compliance has been low for several years. A team of local PEP researchers conducted a randomized control trial to evaluate how to best increase property tax compliance. They found that actively involving landowners through community-based tax education would be more effective than a campaign to raise the public’s awareness of their civic duties (through television, radio and cell phone text messages).
Find out more about the research methods, findings and policy recommendations in the following PEP publications:
