“The built environment represents up to 70% of global wealth”
Urban centres already account for 55% of the global population, growing to 68% by 2050 (UN reporting). In real terms, this means an additional 2 billion urban residents. Meeting this growth equitably requires secure tenure, reliable geospatial records, and property tax systems that can fund the infrastructure and services these growing cities need.
Yet property tax systems in low- and middle-income countries continue to underperform significantly — properties go unregistered, valuations fall out of date, and collection is inefficient. A person’s right, and their restrictions and responsibilities for holding secure tenure within a formal market system come with attached costs – particularly when linked to ongoing services and high land values. Revenue from land and property taxes gives national and local governments and important source of funding for infrastructure and services. Property taxes account for less than 0.5% of GDP across Africa and around 0.1% in emerging Asia, compared with an average of 1.1% across OECD countries.
Mobilising domestic revenue is now a shared priority for governments and development partners alike (see the 2025 Seville Declaration and the World Bank’s Global Tax Program). Property tax reform sits squarely within this agenda, offering one of the most underused sources of local government revenue in low- and middle-income countries.
LEI consults with governments to develop valuation systems that are fair, affordable and transparent for all landholders, backed by a strong track record in land administration reform across Asia, the Pacific and Africa. We’re building on that experience to grow a dedicated valuation and taxation practice, working with partners who bring proven delivery capability to match our reform design expertise. We work with world-class partners with complementary skills to combine rigorous, evidence-based reform design with proven delivery and implementation capability, helping governments unlock property tax as a sustainable source of local revenue.
Property valuation and taxation services offered:
- Property valuation and taxation
- Tax mapping
- Local government revenue collection
- Mass appraisal and municipal finance
LEI can assist with:
- Valuation standards development
- Valuation guidelines and procedures establishment
- Valuation information systems and digital/CAMA solutions
- Capacity development and training in support of sound valuation and taxation principles, and
- Designing the legal and regulatory frameworks necessary to support efficient, transparent and equitable valuations.
An example of our impact
In Lao PDR LEI introduced a transparent manual and computer-based Valuation Information System that delivered a 340% increase in revenue over six years in the capital, Vientiane. More recently, LEI has supported the Government of Nepal to design a digital property valuation and taxation system as part of a wider land administration modernisation programme, and has prepared a public-private partnership framework for the World Bank to help governments mobilise private-sector investment in land administration and revenue reform.
