By Rupert Howell

Retail sales in Batesville have gone in the direction of the nation’s economy as figures indicate a 5.5 percent decrease for the most recent figures released by the Mississippi State Tax Commission.

The City of Batesville received $293,567 compared to $310,471 received during the same reporting period last year.

That figure represents approximately 18 percent of the total amount of the seven percent sales tax collected in August, reported to the state in September and diverted back to the City in October.

Figures released also indicate that the State of Mississippi’s total collections of sales taxes were down 2.5 percent for that same reporting period.

The City of Batesville has received approximately $985,990 of the sales tax collections since the beginning of the state’s fiscal year July 1, a one percent decrease in the same period last year.

The Batesville Tourism and Development Tax, a three percent tax on food, beverages and motel/hotel rooms, saw a two percent decrease over the same period last year with the City receiving $79,570 collected in September. Proceeds from that tax is used by the city for payments on the Batesville Civic Center and infrastructure in the I-55 Highway 6 east area.

Year-to-date collections of that tax are up almost six percent since July compared to the same period last year with a total of $242,964.

The municipalities of Sardis and Crenshaw received notable increases from sales tax collections. Sardis received $28,792, a 30 percent increase over the previous year’s August collection and Crenshaw received $3,494, a 24 percent increase. Year-to-date receipts were also up considerably for both of these Panola municipalities.

Other Panola County municipalities received disbursements for sales tax and the amount of increase <decrease> over the previous year’s corresponding month as: Como, $17,754, 1%; Courtland, $1,530, <13%>; Crowder, $1,369, unchanged;  and Pope, $2,189, <2%>.

Other nearby municipalities received disbursements in the amount of and percentage change over last year as: Charleston, $28,145, unchanged; Clarksdale, $229,826, <1%>; Grenada, $333,449, unchanged; Lambert, $2,668, <13%>; Marks, $21,546, <3%>; Oxford, $557,826, 4%; Senatobia, $167,812, <5%>; Sledge, $1,375, <22%>;  and Water Valley, $41,039, unchanged.