The increasing level of non-compliance with payment demands for local property taxes by Malaysian local authority taxpayers over the past decade has given rise to the need to study the efficiency and productivity of the tax administration system a high priority. This important and sensitive issue has not been given the attention that it deserves. Little empirical research on the administration of, and voluntary compliance in, the Malaysian local taxation system been undertaken and this has shaped the motivation for this study, which represents the first detailed analysis of these issues. Studies on taxpayer compliance behaviour primarily centre on the income tax system and are mainly based on two models. Firstly, the financial self-interest model and secondly, a model that not only includes economic variables, but also other variables such as demographic, noncompliance opportunities, attitudes and perceptions of taxpayers and the structure of the tax system. The model designed in this work builds on this latter concept to include two further variables - namely quality of service and financial information. Two aspects of 'assessment tax 1 collection in Malaysian local authorities are explored in detail. These are, the efficiency and productivity of the assessment tax administration system, and assessment taxpayer compliance behaviour in a sample of Malaysian local authorities. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant difference in terms of the efficiency and productivity of the assessment tax administrative systems between local authorities. The study demonstrates that authorities with high collection performance are more efficient and productive when compared to authorities with medium and low tax collection performances. In general, many of the factors identified with efficiency and effectiveness of the assessment tax administration are consistent with the attributes found in the income tax system. In addition, new factors associated with a high-commitment work system approach (Beer ef a/., (1984) and Walton (1985)) are used in the study to explain the performance of local authorities with high tax collection rates. No previous study has combined all aspects of the above variables in investigating the efficiency and productivity of local tax administration systems. The findings support the model of taxpayer compliance behaviour designed in this work. These indicate that taxpayers in local authorities with high tax collection performance have positive perceptions towards the items listed in the model. In addition, importantly, the majority of the respondents to this study perceived that the presence of financial information might influence their compliance behaviour toward assessment tax. This research has revealed that the attributes of local authorities with high collection performance correspond to earlier studies based on income tax systems. In addition, however, the findings highlight the importance of such factors as the quality of service delivery to taxpayers and work system design in motivating employees to collect local tax revenues. Furthermore, it provides strategic information to all parties involved in the local taxation collection process, especially those local authorities, which are currently confronted with high levels of uncollected assessment tax revenue. Specifically the research has significant implications for the role of government in Malaysia (especially state government) in monitoring assessment tax systems, the work of local authorities and implications for taxpayers' voluntary compliance behaviour. This work is expected to make a significant contribution towards building a unified efficient theory of local taxpayer compliance.

Le système fiscal local direct français a connu, au cours de ces dernières années, des bouleversements notoires. La taxe professionnelle, qui autrefois constituait la principale source de revenus des communes, après avoir été plusieurs fois l'objet de réformes ou de tentatives de réformes, a été finalement supprimée et remplacée (Loi de Finances pour 2010) par de nouvelles impositions (CET, IFER…). Quant à la taxe d'habitation, elle a, depuis 2000, quasiment perdu de sa pertinence et sa crédibilité comme mode d'imposition à l'échelle locale. Aujourd'hui, l'intérêt pour les collectivités locales, en général, et les communes, en particulier semble, sans doute, se porter sur le foncier bâti, qui n'est rien d'autre que la troisième taxe qui complète le tableau des principaux impôts directs locaux français. La taxe foncière sur les propriétés bâties, grâce aux nombreuses qualités (techniques, juridiques, urbanistiques, économico-spatiales) qu'elle présente en matière d'imposition locale, semble offrir plusieurs possibilités de développement aux communes. En effet, la taxe foncière sur les propriétés bâties rentre dans la catégorie des impôts dits « fonciers » qui sont considérés, par plusieurs auteurs (universitaires, élus locaux, élus nationaux, organisations internationales telles que l'OCDE), comme de bons impôts, voire comme des impôts optimaux. Aussi, la taxe foncière sur les propriétés bâties est un impôt qui peut bien prêter, surtout dans le long et le moyen terme, à des politiques de développement local, d'autant que ses bases, touchant à la fois les ménages et les entreprises, semblent être prêtes pour ces enjeux autour desquels se définissent aujourd'hui les stratégies (économiques et spatiales) de développement territorial : politique de logement (ZAC habitat), politique de développement économique (commerces, bureaux, services, activités industrielles ou entreposage, etc.), étalement urbain, densification urbaine / The French local tax system has been live, over the last few years, notable changes. Business tax, which once was the main source of income of Communes, after being repeatedly subjected to reforms or attempts at reform, was finally removed and replaced (Finance Act 2010) by new taxes (TEC, IFER…). As for the Local residence tax, it has since 2000, almost lost its relevance and credibility as a form of taxation at the local level. Today, interest in local government, in general, and the Communes, in particular, seems no doubt be focused on the Property tax on buildings, which is nothing other than the third tax which complete the picture of French major local direct tax. Property tax on buildings, thanks to the many qualities that it has in terms of local taxation (technical, legal, urban planning, economic and spatial), seems to offer more development opportunities to the Communes. Indeed, the property tax on buildings falls into the category of taxes known as “land taxes” that are considered by several authors (academics, local councillors, national politicians, international organizations such as OECD) as good taxes or optimal taxes. Also, Property tax on buildings is a tax that can pay well, especially as its bases, affecting both households and businesses, seem to be ready for these challenges around which define, today, the territorial development strategies (economic and spatial): housing policies, economic development policies (shops, offices, storage, etc.), urban sprawl, urban densification