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The 21st century has seen a renewed interest internationally in national urban policies. This paper draws on the experience of countries that have explicitly pursued national urban policies to solve complex and interrelated urban challenges.
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The national infrastructure deficit has been estimated at close to $400 billion, and much of it rests at the municipal level. Before local governments can raise these funds – through taxes, fees, or other revenue sources – residents must trust that the money is needed and that it will be spent wisely.
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Enid Slack headlined the Local Government New South Wales Finance Summit in Sydney, Australia on August 17, 2016.
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Can cities in Canada rely on the revenues generated by tax increment financing (TIF)? What are the mechanics of assessing the uplift from a TIF before a project is implemented? How much money has it actually raised in practice?
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The City of Toronto implemented a land transfer tax on real estate transactions in February 2008. This study explores the impact of the tax on housing sales in the City of Toronto and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
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Local governments need to make significant financial investments, and must raise revenues through taxes, user fees, and possibly new revenue tools. But before they can take these actions, they have to build trust to convince their residents that new revenues are needed and will be spent wisely.
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This talk presents findings from a new book about the peculiarities of city-county separation. What are the dangers of having municipal institutions that are too rigid to modernize, and what does it mean for the future of regional governance in Ontario?
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Canadian cities have long called for access to more tax revenues. This paper argues that additional taxes are appropriate for major cities, describes the advantages and disadvantages of potential new taxes, and estimates the revenue from a city income tax, a city sales tax, and a city fuel tax for eight Canadian cities.
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