By Rupert Howell

Sales tax figures for the City of Batesville showed another increase compared to the same month last year continuing an upward trend and adding confidence in the local business community.

Batesville received a check for $307,223 in May as its share of April collections according to figures of the Mississippi State Tax Commission. That figure represents a seven percent increase over the amount received in May of 2009 and is approximately 18 percent of the total seven percent sales tax collected within Batesville’s limits in April.

A three percent Tourism and Economic Development Tax collected from hotels and restaurants in May shows an 11 percent increase over May of 2009. The City of Batesville received $85,117 for the month and is five percent above last year’s year-to-date totals  having received $881,007. The state’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Statewide sales tax figures indicate no increase for the month with the state lagging four percent behind last year’s year-to-date figures.

Other Panola municipalities received the following amounts in May for their share of April sales tax collections with the percentage of increase or decrease following: Como, $12,660, -22; Courtland, $1,181, -7; Crenshaw, $3,674, unchanged; Crowder, $1,753; Sardis, $27,684, +8 and Pope, $2,268, +1.

Other local municipalities received the following with percent of change: Charleston, $28,381, +2; Grenada, $308,611, +3; Lambert, $2,704, -2; Marks, $20,564, +4;  Oakland, $5,578, +32; Oxford, $495,777, +1; Senatobia, $149,661, +1; and Water Valley, $39,206, -2.