Sales tax receipts up for most in county

Most all of the entities that collect a local sales tax in the county saw tax receipts up over year-ago statistics, according to the latest information from State Comptroller Susan Combs. The City of Corsicana saw sales tax receipts increase 3.98 percent from year ago statistics. The city’s split of sales taxes for the month was $416,471.65, up from $400,512.00 from one year ago. For the year-to-date, sales tax receipts are down 1.01 percent, with receipts totaling $4,122,672.68 for 2010, compared to a year-to-date total of $4,165,154.97 for 2009.

Statewide, sales tax receipts were up 6.8 percent from year ago figures. Gains in almost all sectors, including oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade and restaurants were noted, Combs said in a release announcing the latest statistics. The collections actually symbolize sales taxes collected in September from sales made in August 2010.

Even with the 1.01 percent arrears from year ago statistics, city leaders are happy with that figure — they had budgeted a loss of 1.58 percent for the year. Should next month’s figures come in at or near 2009 levels, the city will end the economic year very close to what it had projected, around $4.9 million.
Going forward in the budget just adopted, city leaders have estimated a drop of about $100,000 from this year’s projection, although it could be spring before a correct projection on receipts could be made.

It’s very important that we end the year where we thought we were going to. It is a good sign. It is really very satisfied to see (August) not in a ‘negative’ category. That has not been the trend this year.

Only four tax entities in Navarro County Mildred, Navarro, Oak Valley and Richland saw decreases for the month from year ago figures. Combining all taxing entities in the county, receipts were up 4.58 percent from the same month a year ago, and down 1.05 percent for the year, with $442,578 collected for the month, and $4,386,088.71 year-to-date.