Iberville sales taxes up again in April

The Iberville Sales Tax Department collected more than $16 million in parishwide sales taxes over the first four months of the year, a $3.5 million increase over last year’s revenues for the same period, according to the department’s latest report.

A one-third cent increase in sales taxes that went into effect in January accounted for about $1 million of the increase. The hike was the final installment of a one-cent sales tax for the Iberville Parish Council and the parish’s six municipalities that was phased in over three years.

In April, parishwide collections totaled more than $4 million, an increase of $750,000 over April 2008, about a third provided by the new tax.

The Parish Council and the municipalities, which have a total levy of two and two-thirds cents in sales taxes, took in nearly $2.15 million in April, an increase of nearly $485 million over the previous April.

The Iberville Parish School Board’s taxes, at two percent, totaled $1.66 million last month, an increase of nearly $230,000 over April 2008.

The one-third cent solid waste tax that pays for residential garbage collections produced nearly $277,000, a $38,000 increase.

The two percent tax on hotel and motel room rentals that supports tourist promotions yielded $3,265, a decrease of some $760 compared to the previous April.

The City of St. Gabriel, which levies a separate one-third cent tax within its corporate limits, took in just over $86,000 last month, an increase of about $50,000 over the previous year.

For the first four months of 2009, the city received nearly $368,000 from its tax, an increase of nearly $200,000.