This paper focuses on reforming Sri Lanka’s main property tax, commonly known as the rate assessment system, which currently generates only tiny amounts of revenue for local councils. Despite its potential to provide councils with independent financial resources, the system remains underutilized. The core issue lies in its antiquated method of property valuation manual site inspections that are costly, slow, and prone to corruption. The focus of reform is on adopting more effective digital methods that enable fair, consistent, and low-cost property valuations at scale.

Authors

Mick Moore

Mick Moore is a Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and the founding CEO of the International Centre for Tax and Development. He is a political economist whose broad research interests are in the domestic and international dimensions of good and bad governance in poor countries, focusing specifically on taxation in Asia and Africa.
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