Keeping Track: property taxes

Rocked hard in Rockford, Ill.

Property tax is a concern for many Americans.

"Typically, about half of real estate taxes go to the local school district," says Art Balicki, an analyst at Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm. The rest is divided among city, county, and state agencies to cover everything from fire departments to snow removal.

Property owners in many states complain that they shoulder too big a share of the costs of such services, which benefit others in the community who own less property, or none.

Taxes vary depending on the percentage of property market value that's subject to assessment, and other factors.The chart below is for a 2,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor