Municipal Tax and Expenditure Limits
Academics and policymakers have long been interested in the
impacts of the tax and expenditure limits (TELs) that states impose
upon municipalities. There is no systematic knowledge, however, on whether cities have any self-imposed tax and
expenditure limits – that is, limits above and beyond those imposed by states.
In an ongoing survey,
Leah Brooks, economist at the
University of Toronto,
Justin Phillips,
political scientist at
Columbia University,
and Kieran Shah, McGill student, are investigating the extent and causes
of locally-imposed TELs. For example, are states with TELs more or less likely to have cities with TELs?
Has revenue growth differed in cities with TELs versus those without?
To first establish the extent of municipal TELs,
we are conducting a survey of all cities over 100,000 and a random sample of
cities between 25,000 and 100,000 in size. We are first asking city officials – city manager, budget director, and
finance director – if their city has a TEL. If yes, we ask what type of TEL, and whether the official considers the
TEL to be binding, and whether it has impacted fiscal practices.
The full survey questionnaire can be viewed
here. If you do not have Acrobat Writer, you may prefer
this
version.
Results of this project will be posted on
Leah Brooks’s website, and
will be submitted to an academic journal for publication. Please email
Leah if you would like to be notified when the project is completed.