By Rupert Howell

While some across the state were bemoaning recent tax figures that came in below projections, the City of Batesville’s latest figures indicate an increase of five percent over collections last year for the month of February.

The City of Batesville received $300,738 as its share of the seven percent sales tax collected in February by merchants, paid to the state in March and returned to the municipality in April. That amount represents 18 percent of the total amount collected and compares to $286,835 collected in February of 2009.

The city’s Tourism and Development Tax, a three percent tax on restaurants and motels, was up 21 percent for the month of March totaling $82,138 for the city’s coffers. That figure added to the year-to-date figures through March equals a three percent increase with $702,447 collected since July 1, 2009.

The city’s year-to-date total on sales tax is still two percent behind last year at this time with $2,615,524 received since last July 1.

Other Panola County municipalities received the following amounts as their share of sales tax collected and percentage of change as follows: Como, $12,259, -26; Courtland, $1,174, -5; Crenshaw, $6,252, +57; Crowder, $1,210, -34; Pope, $2,078, +5 and Sardis, $29,265, -1.

Nearby municipalities received the following disbursements and percentage of change as: Charleston, $30,257, n/c; Clarksdale, $237,399, n/c; Grenada, $304,066, -1; Lambert, $2,831, +4; Marks, $20,760, -1; Oakland, $5,148, -8; Senatobia, $154,716, -1 and Water Valley, $37,827, +3.

Statewide figures indicate a one percent increase during the month of February disbursing to municipalities $30,675,376 during the month of April. Statewide year-to-date figures indicate and five percent decrease showing the state has disbursed approximately $15 million less than the previous fiscal year since July 1.