Sales tax collections down again

St. Mary Parish sales tax revenues dropped for the 11th consecutive month in September and will likely continue to decrease at least through year-end, the parish sales tax director said.
September’s total collections dropped 13.4 percent compared to the same month in 2014, according to the parish’s monthly sales and use tax report. Parish officials collected $2.93 million in sales taxes in September, down from the $3.39 million collected in September 2014. In September 2015, officials collected $42,627 as a result of financial audits down from the $65,856 collected due to audits in September 2014.
“We continue to see double digit decreases and, from what I hear from local and regional business reports, the slowdown will continue at least through the end of 2015,” St. Mary Parish Sales and Use Tax Director Jeffery LaGrange said in an email.
Hotel sales tax revenues were down 1.1 percent in September compared to the same month last year with $59,730 collected in September 2015 and $60,397 collected in September 2014.
Total collections for the 2015 third quarter dropped 15.4 percent from 2014’s third quarter. Sales tax revenues totaled $9.46 million in 2015’s third quarter down from the $11.19 million collected in the 2014 third quarter.
Collections from audits registered at $181,684 in the 2015 third quarter are less than half of the $390,322 collected as a result of audits in the third quarter of 2014.
Third quarter hotel sales tax collections of $185,368 decreased slightly from the $185,845 collected in 2014’s third quarter.
Morgan City’s 0.3 percent sales tax for roads brought in $66,305 in September bringing the year-to-date total to $678,938.
Though total third quarter collections continued the declining trend in sales tax revenues, they didn’t drop as much as the 16.6 percent dip in the second quarter compared to the 2014 second quarter.
The first quarter of 2015 saw a 7 percent drop in total sales and use tax collections.
The following occupational licenses were filed in September: city of Morgan City, $4,575; St. Mary Parish, $1,142; city of Patterson, $92; city of Franklin, $75; town of Berwick, $75 and town of Baldwin, $50.
This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald. He can be reached at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.