For the second straight month, sales tax revenue is up in all three Golden Triangle cities.
In Columbus, June’s check, which reflects sales made in April, was up more than $3,000 from June 2013. The Mississippi Department of Revenue diverted $729,745 to the city this month from what businesses collected in April. That amount was $726,302 at this point last year.
Starkville saw an increase of nearly $10,000 from June 2013. Revenue returned to the city this month amounted to $498,692. Last June, the city received $489,209 from taxes collected in April 2013.
West Point saw a larger increase than Columbus and Starkville put together. It received $191,013 this month from taxes collected two months ago. Compared to a $175,759 return last June from April 2013 collections, that’s an extra $15,253 in city coffers.
This month marks the end of West Point’s yearly collection period. Overall, it received $2,238,428, a $128,098 increase over the $2,110,330 at the end of the 2013 collection period.
All numbers reflect taxes that were paid to the city by MDR this month. The taxes were collected by city retailers in April. Retailers reported and paid the taxes to MDR in May. Of what is collected, 18.5 percent goes back to city governments.
From last July to date, MDR has paid Columbus nearly $7.905 million, nearly $24,000 more than a year ago. In that same time frame, Starkville has been paid $5,415,637, $192,464 over the July 2012-to-May-2013 time span.
Columbus’ two percent restaurant tax collection, which is allocated to the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, was $137,274.73, a $3,860 jump over last June. The hotel tax showed a $3,060 dip from $23,081 in June 2013 to $20,020 two months ago.
Starkville’s two percent tax was nearly double that of June 2013. It showed a collection of $22,250 from June.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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