September sales tax diversions show year-over-year growth throughout the Golden Triangle, ranging from a 1.7% to an 11.5% rise.
Columbus received $914,614 from the Mississippi Department of Revenue for September, up $15,794 from the same month last year.
The city has received $11,348,814 this fiscal year, compared to $10,841,045 in FY 2022, marking a 4.5% improvement. That brings the city to more than $800,000 over its expected sales tax revenues this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Sales tax diversions run on a three-month window, in which they are collected by retailers one month, sent to MDOR the next and then disbursed to cities and counties the third. Therefore, September diversions generally reflect sales from July.
Also showing growth was the city’s 2% restaurant sales tax, which helps to fund the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, recreation for the county and city and industrial development initiatives led by the Golden Triangle Development LINK. It brought in $190,908, compared to $188,348 in September 2022. The city has collected $2,251,854 so far this fiscal year, compared to $2,000,913 by the same point in 2022.
The 2% hotel/motel tax, which funds Trotter Convention Center, brought in $36,748 this month compared to $32,890 last September.
Fiscal year-to-date, the tax has brought in $374,093 compared to $335,354 by this time last year.
Starkville
Starkville received $696,624 this month, compared to $671,399 in September 2022, marking a 3.6% improvement.
City year-to-date collections for FY 2023 were slightly up from the previous year, with $8,847,336, compared to $8,682,691 in FY 2022.
However, the city fell short of the $9.3 million it budgeted for the fiscal year by more than $400,000.
According to figures released with its sales tax numbers, the city saw a slight dip in its 3% restaurant sales tax diversions but a rise in its 1% hotel sales tax as compared to last year.
The city received $314,930 in September restaurant tax collections — which assist in funding for economic development and tourism as well as recreation — a 1.4% drop from September 2022.
However, fiscal year-to-date collections of $3,995,447 are up 7.3% over the $3,713,002 collected by this time last year.
The city’s 1% hotel sales tax, which funds the Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as parks, brought in $17,912, compared to $16,394 in September 2022, marking an 8.8% increase. So far this fiscal year, the city has collected $217,560, marking a 14.2% improvement from this time last year ($188,721).
West Point
West Point received $256,464 from MDOR this month, marking an 11.5% improvement from September 2022 ($228,469).
So far this fiscal year, the city has received $738,721, compared to $701,408 this time last year, marking a 5.29% improvement.
The city’s fiscal year begins in July, whereas fiscal years in Columbus and Starkville start Oct. 1.
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