Property taxpayers in St. Clair County have seen home values swamped by property taxes over the past 20 years.

Less than 50 cents of every additional property tax dollar over the last 20 years went to pay for services that raise home values. Instead, the primary driver of the rise in property taxes was pension costs.

A new sales tax proposed by Will County school districts would put some residents’ sales tax burden in a league with Chicago, which is home to the highest combined sales tax rate of any major city in the U.S.

Illinois should take steps toward more accurate and frequent property assessments to ensure the tax burden is distributed as fairly as possible.