St. Clair Property Taxes

St. Clair Property Taxes

According to tax-rates.org, the median property tax on a median-priced home in Illinois is $3507, 7th highest in the United States. Calculated as a percentage of income, Illinois residents pay 5.11%, the 5th highest in the nation. As a percentage of property value, Illinois residents pay 1.73% each year, the 6th highest in the nation. No matter how it is calculated, Illinois residents pay more in property taxes than most states.

Of the 100 Illinois counties tracked by tax-rates.org, St. Clair county has the 20th-highest median tax amount. And of the surrounding counties, Monroe, Randolph, Washington, Clinton, and Madison, St. Clair has the second-highest median tax.

St. Clair county has budgeted $48 million dollars in expendetures from its General Fund. It'll receive an estimated $14 million in property taxes, $16 million in sales/use taxes (see below), $8 million from state income taxes, almost $13 million in "licenses, fines, permits, fees" and about $2.5 million in other sources. These do not include the multiple taxing entities which St. Clair collects on behalf of, such as education districts, fire protection districts, libraries, etc.

In addition to property taxes, St. Clair County assesses taxes on various products:

  • Sales taxes on
    • general merchandise (6.6%)
    • qualifying food and drugs (1.0%)
    • vehicles (6.25%)
    • adult (recreational use) cannabis (10.35%)
    • medical cannabis (1.0%)
    • aviation fuel (6.25%)
  • Use taxes on
    • general merchandise (6.25%)
    • qualifying food and drugs (1.0%)
    • vehicles (6.25%)
    • aviation fuel (6.25%)
  • Telecommunication taxes
    • telecommunication services (8.650%)

As a resident of St. Clair, I ask myself if the taxes I'm paying are generating value for myself, my family, my neighbors, and the other residents. As a county board member, I will work with other board members to identify ways that St. Clair can do more with less, just as most families are expected to do in our current economic environment. One of my principles is the individual is better informed than the government on how to manage his own money.

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