Sales taxes down parishwide, but just for August

Sales tax collections for all the parish’s entities are down for the month of August from the same month in 2016 but only slightly from August 2015. The increase last year, up nearly $2.3 million from 2015, is likely due to the increased spending caused by the Great Flood of 2016.

According to figures obtained from the parish’s Sales Tax Department, $4.74 million was collected in August, while $6 million in last year’s August had been collected. Sales tax revenues were even lower in 2015 in August at about $4.87 million.

About $2.3 million of what has been collected in August is dedicated to the Iberville Parish Council, while the School Board will receive about $1.5 million of August’s sales tax receipts.

The parish’s solid waste fund will receive over $308,700 of the sales taxes collected in August, while the parish’s hotel/motel tax has generated $6,345.

The City of St. Gabriel’s portion of the sales taxes collected in August was over $171,700.

On a year-to-year comparison of sales tax revenues, the differences are much less dramatic. By this time last year, the Police Jury’s share of sales tax was approximately $24.46 million while this year’s total is about $24.37 million.

The School Board’s share of sales taxes collected this year to date is about $18.69 million compared to just over $18.75 million in 2016.

Total sales tax collections compared year by year show that by August 2015, the parish had collected over $42.83 million and $47.82 million by August in 2016. So far this year, the parish has collected just over 2016’s total at $47.87 million.