Northeast Mississippi Sales Tax: Corinth Up 4.1%
Sales tax payments sent to Northeast Mississippi cities were mostly higher than a year ago in the state’s latest report, with Corinth, Baldwyn and Burnsville posting gains and Booneville, Iuka and Walnut seeing dips for the month. The Northeast Mississippi sales tax figures come from the Mississippi Department of Revenue’s September “Diversions to Cities From Sales Tax Collections” report.
Corinth Sales Tax Payment Up 4.1 Percent
Corinth received $694,153.78 in the September report, compared with $667,105.82 in the same report a year earlier, an increase of about 4.1 percent. For the fiscal year that began July 1, the city has received $2,099,826.67, up about 5.5 percent from $1,990,612.24 at this point last year.
Corinth remains by far the largest sales tax recipient in Alcorn County. Its payment was roughly three times that of Booneville, the next-largest city in the three-county area.
How Nearby Towns Compared
Here is how other Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo County towns fared in the September report, with the fiscal-year-to-date change in parentheses:
- Booneville: $218,197.97, down about 3.3 percent from $225,705.64 (fiscal year to date up about 1.7 percent at $641,530.48)
- Iuka: $111,294.83, down about 5.5 percent from $117,819.11 (up about 4.2 percent at $356,876.51)
- Baldwyn: $51,478.56, up about 8.6 percent from $47,387.42 (up about 11.8 percent at $151,051.42)
- Belmont: $37,624.80, down about 3.0 percent from $38,796.70 (up about 3.7 percent at $116,131.70)
- Walnut: $35,561.02, down about 7.2 percent from $38,339.58 (up about 0.8 percent at $111,017.08)
- Tishomingo: $23,381.03, down about 5.7 percent from $24,805.30 (down about 19.6 percent at $61,947.00)
- Burnsville: $20,611.28, up about 35.2 percent from $15,250.54 (up about 8.9 percent at $66,380.58)
- Glen: $11,074.05, up from $5,474.59
- Farmington: $5,344.57, up about 2.6 percent from $5,208.58
- Kossuth: $4,043.65, down from $4,498.11
- Rienzi: $4,385.46, down from $4,845.34
What the Numbers Mean
The diversion report shows the portion of state sales tax collections that Mississippi sends back to cities each month. Month-to-month figures can swing, especially for small towns, because they reflect the timing of business filings and one-time purchases as well as shopping trends. The fiscal-year totals give a steadier picture, and most of the area’s larger towns remain ahead of last year’s pace.
The money helps pay for city services such as police, fire protection, streets and utilities. Local officials generally watch the monthly reports closely when planning budgets.
The report lists amounts for every incorporated city and town in the state. The figures above were taken directly from the Department of Revenue’s published report, and percentage changes were calculated by Alcorn News MS.
For more on the city’s finances, see our earlier report, Corinth Sales Tax Ends Fiscal Year Up 7.5 Percent.
Source: Mississippi Department of Revenue
