By Rupert Howell
Did severe winter weather put a damper on retail sales during the most extreme winter experienced in this area in years?

Judging from the rate of increase in 12 months prior to February Batesville collections, State Tax Commission figures show the first decrease in sales taxes paid in 13 months ocurred during the February collection period.

Collections for January sales were up seven percent, February collections were down three percent and March collections were up one percent.

Sales tax rebates or diversions to the City of Batesville grew at a rate of approximately 3.5 percent over the past 12 months with Batesville receiving approximately $3.3 million since last July or around one-fifth of the total seven percent sales tax collected, to help fund city services.
More impressive, the three percent tax paid in restaurants and lodging places increased 18 percent in March over the previous March. Batesville received the entire total of that collection which was $90,661.

Since July the city has received $868,617 from that tax which is 9.8 percent over the previous year according to State Tax Commission figures.

The City of Sardis has a similar tax and received $7,121for the month of March which is 10 percent more than collected in March of 2014. Since July Sardis has received $71,556, a 3.7 percent increase over the previous year-to-date totals.

Sardis sales tax figures indicate business is up as the city received $31,967 or three percent more than in the previous year during the corresponding month. Also year-to-date figures indicate sales increases of eight percent with Sardis receiving disbursements of $269,323 since July 1.

Other Panola County municipalities received the following amounts as their share of sales taxes collected followed with the percentage of increase or decrease from  collections in March of 2014 as follows: Como, $12,408,-5; Courtland, $1,764, +49; Crenshaw, $5,157, -16; Crowder, $1,806, +25 and Pope, $3,191, +6.

Other nearby communities received the following disbursement amounts for the March collecting period and percentage of change as follows: Charleston,$27,966, -7; Clarksdale, $227,370, -7;  Grenada, $368,528, +2; Lambert, $2,127, -7; Marks, $19,559, -4; Oakland, $6,900, +7; Oxford, $657,300, +14; Sledge, $1,655, -4; and Water Valley, $41,060, -1.

Statewide disbursements back to municipalities totaled $36,864,222 which was one percent above the amount disbursed the corresponding month in 2014.