Impact of differentiated urban land use tax policy on the efficiency of industrial land use

Abstract

[Objective] In order to solve the problem of extensive land use and low-efficiency idle land, the differential collection policy of land use tax has been explored in China since 2014. Through the adjustment of land taxation, this policy aimed primarily to guide land users in improving the efficiency of stock land use. There has been an increasing number of cities that have begun to explore the implementation of differentiated urban land use tax policy. This policy represents an innovative macro-control tool to enhance the efficiency of urban land use, but its practical effects have yet to be determined. This study investigated the impact of differential tax policy of urban land use on the efficiency of industrial land use and explained how this policy was implemented. [Methods] In this study, the differential tax policy of urban land use is viewed as a “quasi-natural experiment”. Based on the panel data of 277 prefecture-level and above cities across the country from 2009 to 2019, the impact of this policy on the efficiency of industrial land use was explored with the help of a multi-period difference-in-differences (multi-period DID) model. This study also used heterogeneity analysis to examine the impact of different collection methods on the efficiency of industrial land use. The mediation effect model was used to further verify the impact mechanism of the policy on the efficiency of industrial land use. [Results] The differential tax policy of urban land use can significantly enhance the efficiency of industrial land use. Robustness tests confirm that the results of the study are valid. Heterogeneity analysis indicated that the positive effects of the policy on the efficiency of industrial land use were more pronounced under the tax relief mode than under the post-expropriation return mode. Furthermore, the analysis of the impact mechanism indicated that the policy primarily improved the efficiency of industrial land use by promoting technological innovation and adjusting the industrial structure. [Conclusion] The multi-period DID model can be useful for objectively analyzing the effects of differential urban land use tax policies on industrial land use efficiency. The innovative approach to urban land use taxation has great significance for optimizing the allocation of industrial land in urban stock and promoting land use that is economically and intensively productive.