Data for "Do political parties matter for property taxes?"

We evaluate whether political partisanship affects local taxes in an
emerging economy. Using detailed residential property-level data in Chile,
we study whether mayor’s political leanings affect the reassessment
process and thus the taxes paid by home owners. In Chile, this type of tax
is especially relevant since it is one of the largest sources of municipal
income. To address endogeneity concerns, we use a regression
discontinuity design, exploiting the quasi-experimental variation provided
by close municipal elections. Our main results show that after a right-wing
mayor is elected, property assessments increase 35% to 40% more than in
a similar municipality where a left-wing mayor was elected. Using a
limited sample of commercial property values, we provide suggestive
evidence that only part of this effect is related to an increase in
commercial prices.