Course Outline
 

1. Title:  The 162^nd Regular Session on Land Taxation and Valuation
2. Organizer:  International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST)
3. Venue: No. 574, Zhongshan Rd., Taoyuan Dist., Taoyuan City 33058, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
4. Duration:  29 days, scheduled from May 16 to June 13, 2025 (excluding arrival and departure)
5. Target Audience: 28 international and Taiwanese participants of medium and high-level government officials or experts in the fields of land taxation and valuation

 

6. Objectives:
   1. Providing the participants with understanding of the most recent lessons learned in achieving goals for effective land taxation and valuation.
   2. Giving the participants a deeper knowledge of property tax, property valuation, decentralization and city roles; urban finance, intergovernmental finance, infrastructure pricing and finance.
   3. Introducing the participants to the techniques of economically analyzing tax policy, conducting property valuation and mastering tax information system and its application.
   4. Arming the participants with skills and perspectives in tax policy, urban finance, infrastructure finance, property tax and property valuation.
   5. Exploring with participants models, policy development and policy implementation regarding:
      1. Economics, Taxation Policy and Theory
      2. Local Public Finance
      3. Land valuation
      4. Net Zero and Sustainable Development

 

7. Course Components:
   1. General Structure:
      1. Economics, Taxation Policy and Theory (Week 1): Economics, Public Finance and Tax Policy; Impact of Climate Change Risk Economic Analysis in Tax Policy; Defining Tax Bases; Government Finance, Tax Policy and Tax System in Taiwan; Tax Policy for Sustainable Development and Growth.
      2. Local Public Finance (Week 2): Urban Public finance; Economics of Local Governments; The Structure of Tax Systems; Property Tax; Principles of Property Taxation, Limitations, and Applications; Reforming the Land Tax System and Local Government Finance in Taiwan; Value Capture Case Studies from Around the World; Budgets, Borrowing and Deficit Finance; Pricing of Public Goods and Services; Intergovernmental Finance; The New Economics of Global Cities-Climate Change, Net Zero, Sustainability; House Tax, Tax Expenditure and Sustainability.
      3. Land Valuation (Week 3): Principles and Concepts of Property Valuation; Sales Comparison Approach; Cost and Income Capitalization Approaches; Methods of Mass Appraisal; Evaluation of Valuation Performance; Splitting Land and Building Values: Resolution of Valuation Disputes; Valuation Standards and Ethics; ESG and Sustainability; Property Valuation in an Era of Sustainability and Equity.
      4. Field trips to related government agencies and organizations.

 

2. Instructors:  Instructors include one course coordinator, three international lecturers and 4 local lecturers.

 

3. Presentation:
   1. In addition to class lecturing and field trips, the program at the ICLPST encourages interaction among participants.  Individuals are expected to not only learn the theory from the lectures by the instructors, but also learn through debate about real problems from case presentation and active discussion with fellow participants and other professionals.  Therefore, each participant will be required to make a 30-minute presentation (adjusted in accordance with the actual number of participants) to the group about the major problems facing land taxation and valuation in their countries.

 

2. The presentation shall include the following components:
   1. Country Background: The first part of your presentation should include general information about your country’s land taxation policies, tax system, property tax as well as some major taxation and valuation development issues.  You should consider the following points:
      1. Geographic Background: It is helpful to prepare a map of your country.
      2. Tax Administration System: Information of the political system would facilitate understanding of land taxation policy making in your country.
      3. Your Job or Position: Try to identify the functional role of your working institution in terms of tax administration.
      4. Issues and Solutions: To your best knowledge, identify the major issues of land taxation, land valuation, urban finance, infrastructure finance, property tax in your country. Examples of efficient solutions and difficult experiences are welcome to share with all participants.
      5. Future Challenges: It would be useful to identify the foreseen major land taxation and valuation issues of primary concern in your country.
   2. Problems and Solutions: In addition to background information, the presentation should cover at least one major contemporary land taxation and/or land valuation problem in their countries.  To take advantages of participants’ working experience, they are free to choose a topic at their convenience and should be prepared to explain the nature of the above said problem.
   3. Net Zero and Sustainable Development: In response to global climate change, the presentation should also include a separate portion to deal with issues related to this theme, such as net zero, sustainable development, circular economy, and carbon tax, etc.

 

3. Preparation: Participants are required to have materials prepared for their presentations prior to their arrival at the ICLPST.  Besides, multi-media such as video player, computer and projector will be available for the presentation.  During the training course, the participants will be divided into three panels in accordance with the three themes covered in the first, the second, and the third weeks.  Each panel shall be composed of eight to nine participants, in accordance with the participants’ expertise and choice of time. The three themes are as follows:
   1. Economics, Taxation Policy and Theory
   2. Local Public Finance
   3. Land Valuation

 

4. Field Trips: The field trips and cultural visits are arranged in line with the specific topics dealt with in the course. The participants are typically taken to tax administration agencies in the central and local governments, land offices, etc. Within the trips and visits, the participants are given a chance to take in the beautiful views in some internationally renowned scenic spots and cultural sites, which are hoped to help the participants see and feel for themselves Taiwan’s developments in its society and economy as well as its friendly people and good tradition.

 

5. NOTE WELL:
   1. The course emphasizes experience sharing and direct participation; lectures and participants’ presentations are all conducted in English, while field trips and cultural visits are guided by the ICLPST’s staff members, who act as interpreters whenever necessary to enable the participants to better communicate and understand the hosts during the visits.
   2. In each of the five objectives identified above, instructors would be expected to provide (a) appropriate theory that informs the subject, (b) a discussion of cases illustrating the implementation success/failures of the subject, and (c) prescription for appropriate policy action in developing and transition economy countries.  Participants are encouraged to take part in class discussions so that the participating countries’ experiences can be shared. The course makes extensive use of technical seminars to enhance the sharing and common understanding of imparted knowledge.

To validate the application process, applicants recommended by their office has to be channeled through the Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassies/Missions Abroad (https://en.mofa.gov.tw/). The latter shall transmit the application to the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST) for consideration.