February tourism tax jumps 60 percent for Batesville

By Rupert Howell
Moving the United Kennel Club’s Winter Classic Raccoon hunt to February from January may have been a big boon for the City of Batesville as tourism tax revenues skyrocketed over 60 percent for that month compared to February 2016.
That increase occurred while the seven percent general sales tax on retail sales decreased for the same time period by four percent.
For several reasons the hunt was moved to the later date with one being not to interfere with deer season which runs through January. By postponing the event until February, more hunting territory was open solely for the raccoon hunters and more hunters usually involved both in deer and raccoon hunting were available for the competitive coon hunt.
State Department of Revenue figures indicate $160,276 was collected in February for the three percent tourism tax compared to $98,839 collected in February 2016. That figure represents an additional $2 million in food and hotel room sales during the month.
Although the competitive hunt was held in January in 2016, comparative figures with January 2017 show only a $10,000 decrease.
Batesville City Clerk Susan Berryhill and Panola Partnership Director Joe Azar both speculated the dramatic increase might be tied to to the UKC hunt, with Azar stating, “We will have to do some digging. We can’t be in the dark on that.”
The city uses those funds to pay bonds on Batesville Civic Center and infrastructure needs tied to tourism and Panola Partnership serves as the county’s economic development agency.
Batesville’s sales tax collections for February were $368,205 with the four percent decrease but year to date collections, sales tax diverted back to the city since July 1, 2016, are ahead of the previous year’s collections by a meager one percent at $3,329,636.
Tourism tax, the three percent tax on prepared food and lodging, caught up with and surpassed last year’s collections at this time by three percent with February’s increase amounting to $940,138 for the fiscal year.