Supporting Simplified Property Valuation in Bulawayo

Status

On-going

City

Bulawayo

Timeline

June 2026 – Date

Description

In collaboration with the City of Bulawayo, LoGRI and Big Win Philanthropy are jointly conducting a diagnostic assessment of the City of Bulawayo’s current property tax system. Based on this assessment, the mission aims to develop informed recommendations for potential reforms to strengthen the property tax system in a more efficient, progressive, and transparent manner. Property valuation is expected to be a core focus of the project. Bulawayo’s residential property valuation methodology is based solely on land value and does not account for the value of built structures. This makes the system regressive, as properties on similar plots pay similar taxes regardless of building size or quality, and limits revenue potential by under-taxing higher-value properties.

Reforming the system to capture the value of built properties alongside land value would improve fairness and increase revenue. The suggested approach would be simple and gradual: starting with an area- and location-based method for valuing buildings, alongside the existing land valuation system, before progressively incorporating qualitative building characteristics to make the system more progressive over time.