By Rupert Howell

The Batesville economy showed a glimpse of improvement with latest sales tax figures indicating October sales for 2009 were above October sales of 2008, if only by a meager .4 percent according to the Mississippi Tax Commission’s latest figures.

Batesville received $271,394 for its share of October sales tax collections compared to $270,299 received last year for the same period.

That figure is also down seven percent for the same period in 2007 when Batesville received $292,850, but the slight increase recently recorded looks better if compared to a statewide decrease of eight percent for the same time period.

Another positive indicator in Batesville’s favor is that the latest Tourism and Economic Development Tax figures which represent the following month of November. That figure shows a seven percent increase over November 2008. Those figures also showed an increase that precluded this month’s figures.

The city received $75,687 from the three percent sales tax added to restaurants and lodging that brings fiscal year-to-date totals within one-quarter of one percent of the amount collected at the same time last fiscal year.

Most Panola municipalities continued to show decreases during October. The latest report indicates the amount of sales taxes paid to merchants in October, reported to the state in November and paid to the city in December. Municipalities receive the disbursements from the state of approximately 18 percent of the seven cent Mississippi sales tax. All of the three percent Tourism and Economic Development tax is returned to the city.

Other Panola County municipalities received disbursements in the amount of, and percentage of increase or decrease as follows: Como, $15,138, -9; Courtland, $1,243, -2; Crenshaw, $3,177, +5; Crowder, $1,267, no change; Pope, $1,914, -10 and Sardis, $24,776, -1.

Other nearby municipalities received disbursements in the amount of, and percentage of increase or decrease as: Charleston, $25,507, -4; Clarksdale, $205,266, -7; Grenada, $280,797, -8; Lambert, $2,757, +2;Marks, $20,718, -7; Oakland, $3,901, -4; Oxford, $500,527, -4; Senatobia, $135,178, -7; Sledge, $1,254, -1; and Water Valley, $38,939, -2.

Year-to-date figures from July 1, 2008 indicate a statewide decrease of eight percent while the City of Batesville’s decrease is five percent and totals $1,426,837 in disbursements received.