Freetown City Property Tax Reform

Share

In 2021, the LoGRI team was instrumental in implementing property tax and business license reforms in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. As a result, there was a threefold surge in revenue collection, establishing a system that is notably more comprehensive and equitable. Although revenue collection for Fiscal Year 2023 is still underway, the total revenue collected increased compared to the same period in Fiscal Year 2022.

The LoGRI team is still involved in this project, focusing on sustainability and building capacity within the Freetown City Council to maintain the system. The team is systematically ensuring council staff are able to maintain the tax database using the existing software and to lead in the printing and delivery of property tax bills and business licenses. We are also collaborating with the Sierra Leonean central government to facilitate knowledge transfer from the Freetown system.


Upcoming Publications


Research and Publications

Project Team

Rosetta Wilson

Emile Eleveld

Amadu Jan Jalloh

Manso Bagura

Sheku Kunateh

Technical Lead

Axel Schneider

Paul Fish

Doctoral Fellow

Doctoral Fellow


Related Media


Related Projects


Photo credit to Wikimedia Commons

Evan Trowbridge

Technical Lead

Evan advances LoGRI’s work through the collection, analysis, and management of data. Before joining the LoGRI team in Sierra Leone, he was the data manager at a local research organization. Evan’s prior experience includes four years of governance experience in Honduras, where he worked for USAID and a local NGO while also leading a small program for at-risk youth. His other work includes the International Innovation Corps and an association of philanthropic foundations. Evan has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and undergraduate degrees from Penn State University.


Projects

Nicolas Orgeira Pillai

Doctoral Fellow

Nicolas Orgeira Pillai is a Doctoral Fellow with LoGRI. His research focuses on local revenue mobilisation, with a particular interest in property taxation and tax compliance. Through the use of impact evaluation approaches and quantitative analysis, his work aims to support tax administrations in implementing state-building tax reforms that improves governance and the relationship between the government and the citizens. His projects also relate to tax administration, gender and taxation, and the informal economy. He holds a master’s in economics at the University of Toronto and is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the University of Sussex.


Projects


All Contributions

Graeme Stewart-Wilson

Doctoral Fellow