Taxing for Democracy

Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror Few taxes are intrinsically democratic or undemocratic. They are just a way of funding government. But there are occasional exceptions, including a very significant one in Sri Lanka currently: the taxes raised by local councils, especially property tax (aka rate assessment). The most important fact about the property tax in Sri Lanka is that it is trivial on virtually any measure. Most households do not pay it. Those that do mostly hand over a few hundred rupees. It is mainly a small number of large commercial establishments that receive property tax bills that are big…

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