Property Tax: No More Vacancy Exemptions

Mona Fawaz, Abir Zaatari - July 2020
In this Featured Analysis published by the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS), Mona Fawaz and Abir Zaatari argue that property taxation needs to be used to influence social policy and economic decisions positively. They show that the current practice of exempting vacant built property from taxes undermines the vital contributions the built environment could play to boost the economy. Therefore, they recommend revoking those tax exemptions and reintroducing taxes on all built property, irrespective of the occupancy status, within a progressive scale that accounts for hardship cases.

This policy proposal is based on research conducted as part of the Beirut: A City for Sale project on building activity in Beirut. You can read the full text on LCPS's website