‘Why are my taxes so high?’ With bills on the way, here are answers to 6 common questions
Here are answers to six common tax questions for property owners in St. Clair County who recently received their tax bills or will soon in the mail.
Q: When will I get my tax bill and when are payments due?
A: You can expect to receive your bill by early June, according to the St. Clair County treasurer’s office. (If you don’t receive your bill by the middle of June, the treasurer’s office asks you to give them a call at 618-825-2707.)
The first and second installments are due July 1 and Sept. 1.
Q: What will happen if I don’t pay my property taxes?
A: According to the treasurer’s office, the county could try to recover the amount you owe by selling a lien on your property.
When that happens, you have a certain amount of time to pay off your taxes, as well as penalties and interest, before you lose your property.
You’ll have two and a half years to pay these debts if the property is where you live or if it is a rental with no more than six apartment units, according to the treasurer’s office. For other types of property, the time limit is two years.
Q: Where do my property taxes go?
A: Local governments and public schools collect property taxes as a large source of funding for their budgets.
Q: Why are my taxes so high?
A: Your taxes might increase if local governments and schools want to collect more money, if home values in your community decrease or if many of your neighbors receive tax exemptions, which can lower their bill but shift costs to you.
Q: How are property taxes calculated?
A: The county clerk’s office uses this formula to calculate tax rates, which determine how much you’ll pay each unit of government in your community:
How much money the unit of government wants to collect is divided by the value of homes and properties in the community (minus the value or part of the value of homes owned by people who get a tax exemption).
Q: What tax exemptions are available?
A: This table from St. Clair County describes 10 exemptions and how to qualify for them.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 12:10 PM.
