There are two main avenues by which municipal rates policies could be designed to positively impact on the struggle by low-income households to gain access to urban land. First, by providing direct tax relief, municipal rates policies can impact the demand-side of the equation by making it more affordable to remain in one’s current property or to move up the property ladder. Second, through indirect means, municipal rates policies can create incentives for property owners to make land use decisions which increase the supply of available well-located land and the stock of low-income housing.

This report, prepared by Isandla Institute and PDG for the SACN and Urban LandMark, analyses the impact of property rating policies in two cities (Johannesburg and Buffalo City) and makes recommendations about how property rates can be used to improve poor households’ access to urban land markets.

Download the report:October 2009 [pdf, 400kb]