By Rupert Howell

Sales taxes collected in the City of Batesville for December of 2008 were seven percent less than those collected in December of 2007 according to recently released figures of the State Tax Commission.

All Panola County municipalities showed decreases often mirroring the overall decrease across the state of approximately five percent.

Municipalities receive approximately one-fifth of the seven percent sales tax collected within their boundaries. That money is often used for fire and police protection and other city services with the remainder being placed in the state’s general fund for state expenditures.

Batesville received $336,518 as its portion compared to $361,780 received for the previous December. Year-to-date figures show a five percent decrease since the state’s fiscal year began on July 1. Year-to-date figures show Batesville has received $2,108,074 since July.

A three percent tax on food and hotel/motel rooms called the Batesville Tourism and Economic Development Tax decreased for the month of January by 12 percent over the amount received during the same period last year. The amount, $62,970, was enough to keep the year-to-date figure five percent above the amount received last year for the same period.

Other Panola municipalities received sums as follows with the percentage of decrease: Como, $15,901,-17; Courtland, $925, -52; Crenshaw, $3,332, -4; Crowder, $1,421, -5; Pope, $1,614, -28 and Sardis, $26,619, -8.

Other nearby municipalities received their share of sales tax and the amount of increase or decrease respectively: Charleston, $29,337, -6; Clarksdale, $252,515, 0; Grenada, $356,806, -9; Lambert, $3002, 0;  Marks, $21,931, -6; Oakland, $3,728, -14; Oxford, $534,681, -3; Senatobia, $165,001, -12; Sledge, $1,205, -25 and Water Valley, $41,551, +1.