Sales tax in the midst of a pandemic continues to increase
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, September 23, 2020
- business is booming: Store manager Jordan Hebert adjusts displays at Fly Boutique Tuesday afternoon. Sales for the store have increased as the store transitions from summer to fall clothing. Sales tax collections for Picayune and Poplarville were higher in July than in the previous year. Cathy Cook | Picayune Item
Both Picayune and Poplarville continue to see strong sales tax revenue from sales during the pandemic.
The city of Picayune received $452,655 in sales tax diversions from the state for July’s sales. In the same month of the previous year, the city received $406,228. July’s sales brought in less in sales tax diversions than June’s sales, which brought the city $471,926, although there was a bigger increase in July’s sales from the previous year.
The city of Poplarville received $88,363 in sales tax diversions for sales made in July, compared to $80,958 in the same month of the previous year. At $96,708, June’s sales brought Poplarville more in sales tax diversions and a bigger increase from the same month of the previous year.
Across the state, cities received $40 million in sales tax diversions in September for July’s sales, an increase from the same month of the previous year.
From July 1 to the present, cities across the state have received $81.8 million in sales tax diversions. At the same point in 2019, cities had received approximately $75 million.
For the Mississippi state 2020 fiscal year, which runs from July 2019 through June 2020, there were $1 trillion in gross retail sales in Pearl River County. For the months of July and August 2020, there have been $198 million in gross retail sales, slightly lower from the same time in the previous fiscal year.
The state of Mississippi’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, whereas municipalities begin their fiscal year in October.
