Predicting the Frequency and Depreciation in Real Estate Assessment Quality in Pennsylvania: 1988-2008

<p>In the United States, the real estate tax continues to be the most important own-source local tax revenue. As a consequence, there is a vast practitioner literature about how a local real estate tax can be administered most fairly and inexpensively. The International Association of Assessing Officers has promulgated manuals, training, standards of practice, and statutory language that define and enable best assessment practice . Until 1982, the Governments Division of the US Census Bureau measured and reported the quality of residential property assessment by metropolitan area and state4 . Beyond these two important research enterprises, other public finance researchers have explored a wide variety of questions about the valuation mechanism that underlies application of local real estate taxation.