By Rupert Howell

Recently released sales tax figures reveal that collections in April and paid to municipalities in May were down three percent in Batesville from April 2012 while statewide collections rose by four percent in that same period.

Batesville received $324,196 as its share which represents approximately 18 percent of the seven cents collected on each dollar of retail sales within the city’s limits.

However the city’s Tourism and Economic Development Tax, a three percent tax of restaurants and lodging, increased approximately two percent for the month of May. That tax, since it is reported a month earlier than sales tax, is usually a harbinger of what the next month’s sales tax collections will do.

The City received $98,008 for that tax, money that is generally used to pay for Batesville Civic Center notes and capital improvements to the infrastructure.

Since July, the city has received $975,406 compared to $985,649 received during the same period last year.

Como’s sales tax showed an increase of 28 percent with that municipality receiving $18,807 as its share of April sales tax collected. Their two percent tourism tax  increased for the month of May compared to May 2012, by 10 percent with  that city receiving $4,765.

The City of Sardis showed a decrease of one percent in sales tax collections receiving $28,386 as their share and a decrease of five percent from collections of their tourism tax for May in the amount of $8,672.

Other Panola County municipalities received the following amounts as their share of sales tax collections with percentage of increase or decrease from April 2012 as follows: Courtland, $1,117, -65; Crenshaw, $4,771, -24; Crowder, $1,434, -34 and Pope, $2,409, -47.

Other nearby municipalities reported the following amounts with percentage of increase and decrease as: Charleston, $28,832, -2; Clarksdale, $243,519, -1; Grenada, $353,964, +7; Lambert, $3,741, +9; Marks, $18,958, -8; Oakland, $5,944, -16; Oxford, $717,303, +6; Senatobia, $166,248, +6; Sledge, $1,378, -23; Taylor, $2,864, +6; University of Miss., $16,720, +1 and Water Valley, $41,844, unchanged.