By Rupert Howell

October sales in Batesville showed a significant increase of eight percent compared to the previous year’s figures according to information provided by Mississippi State Tax Commission.

Municipalities collect a seven percent state sales tax with approximately 18 percent diverted back to the municipalities which is used to fund city government and services.

Batesville received $292,604 as its share which added to other disbursements during the state’s fiscal year, July 1 to present, amounts to $1,520,486 representing a seven percent increase in tax collections or retail sales over the same period of the previous fiscal year.

A three percent tax on restaurants and hotels amounted to $82,546 representing a nine percent increase in that area. That amount represents November sales and was also two percent above the amount collected in October.

In its first year, a one percent restaurant tax in Sardis has brought in $44,701, $8,136 of that coming in November.

Other Panola municipalities received the following disbursements as their share of sales tax collected in the month of October and percentage of increase or decrease as follows: Como, $10,538, -30; Courtland, $1,234, unchanged; Crenshaw, $5,549, 74; Pope, 78 and Sardis, $28,335, 14.

Other nearby municipalities received the following disbursements and the amount of increase or decrease over the previous year’s corresponding month: Charleston, $30,149, 13; Clarksdale, $218,549, 6; Grenada, $294,521, 5; Lambert, $2,692, -2; Marks, $19,800, -2; Oakland, $5,160, 32; Oxford, $533,280, +7; Senatobia, $146,834, 6; Sledge, $1,652, 10; Taylor, $2,430, 18 and Water Valley, $39,825, 2.

Statewide figures indicate a five percent increase in disbursements for the month totalling $29,870,445 and year-to-date $154,074,691, which represents a 2.5 percent increase.