By Rupert Howell

Sales tax revenue for the City of Batesville decreased three percent from the amount received last February from purchases made during January 2009 and 2010.

Batesville received $255,486 as its share of the seven percent sales tax. Municipalities receive approximately 18 percent of the total tax collected. That figure added with other disbursement checks received since the current fiscal year began in July 2010 show a year-to-date increase of six percent totaling $2,442,603.

The state as a whole showed a five percent decrease in the amount paid to municipalities representing January collections. Statewide year-to-date reimbursements are up slightly by approximately two percent.

The City of Batesville also receives payment for a three percent tax on hotels and restaurants. That figure represents collections in February which were up 11 percent over last Feburary with year-to-date figures showing a 10 percent increase bringing to the city a total of $679,839 since July 1, 2010.

The cities of Sardis and Como also have special taxes on restaurants, bars and hotels.

Como received $4,974 from the tourism tax from February sales. Como Tourism Tax is a $1 tax upon for each occupied room per night in hotels or other such places and restaurants at a rate not to exceed two percent (2%) of gross proceeds from the sale of food and beverages. Como’s special tourism tax is in its first year.

The City of Sardis received $4,380 through its tourism tax. That city’s special tax is a 3% tax imposed on the gross proceeds of hotels and the sales of food and beverages from a restaurant or bar. The February total was 40 percent below the total collected February 2009.

Other Panola County municipalities received sales tax disbursements of the following amounts including the percentage of increase and decrease over the same period last year as follows: Como, $10,827, -16; Courtland, $1,201, 5; Crenshaw, $3,804, -10; Crowder, $1,393, -32, Pope, $2,529, 30 and Sardis, $24,565, -7.

Other nearby municipalities received the following disbursements and percentage of change over last year as: Charleston, $25,842, -10; Clarksdale, $202,652, -1; Grenada, $263,909, -10; Lambert, $2,686; Marks, $17,696, -19; Oakland, $5,037, +5; Oxford, $425,776, -4; Senatobia, $137,414, -7; Taylor, $1,314, +4 and Water Valley, $33,990, -23.