Growth reflected in sales tax figures

By Rupert Howell

Latest sales tax figures reflecting local economic trends show steady growth compared to the same period last year with the City of Batesville receiving a four percent increase for the months of August and July.

Batesville received $329,925,  for its share (approximately 18%) of the seven cents on each dollar collected.

Batesville also received $92,993 for September’s Tourism and Economic Development tax, a three percent tax on food and lodging. That number was up five percent over the previous September and three percent over the year-to-date figure compared to last year to the tune of $276,207.

The Town of Como’s sale tax payment was up 17 percent over the same period last year with with the town receiving $15,617. 

Como’s tourism tax expired and was not renewed during the last session of the legislature. During 2012, $4,466 was collected in September.

Sardis sales were slightly down with that city receiving $24,763 for the month of August compared to 2012, down one percent from August 2012. 

The tourism tax was up significantly for the month of September with Sardis receiving $8,697, an 11 percent increase over August 2012.

Other Panola County municipalities received the following amounts from sales tax collections with the amount of increase or decrease as follows: Courtland, $1,106, -11; Crenshaw, $4,160, -6; Crowder, $1,551, +16 and Pope, $2,186, -40.

Other nearby and neighboring municipalities received the following the percentage of change as: Charleston, $27,076, -3; Grenada, $348,954, +6; Lambert, $4,862, +46; Marks, $20,503, +11; Oakland, $5,076, -9; Oxford, $629,762, +4; Senatobia, $170,100, +9; Sledge, $1,527, +2; Taylor, $2,047, +2; and Water Valley, $40,970, unchanged.

Statewide collections were up five percent over last year for the month of August and year-to-date.