Receipts highlight 5/8-cent sales tax impact

Siloam Springs' sales tax receipts were up 53.06 percent in October compared to the same month last year.

Sales tax receipts were up $236,563 to $692,407 in October, compared to $445,844 in October 2018, according to the November issue of City & Town magazine.

Numbers were down last year because the 5/8th cent sales tax was not in effect. Siloam Springs has a total sales tax rate of 9.5 percent and the sales tax revenue it directly receives typically comes from 2 percent of the total.

Sales tax receipts were down in October 2018 due to the discontinuation of the 5/8th cent sales tax in July 2018, meaning that only 1 3/8 percent was collected, according to an October 2018 report in the Herald-Leader. The tax was reinstated in December 2018, returning sales tax receipts to normal levels.

County sales tax receipts were up $54,305 from $288,294 in October of 2018 to $342,294 in October 2019.

City sales tax receipts are used for utility infrastructure, repayment of wastewater treatment plant bonds, the city's general fund, public safety and the street department.

A share of county sales tax receipts pays on two water utility infrastructure bonds.

Other cities that saw an increase in city sales tax receipts were:

• Bentonville, up $1.18 million to $2.6 million

• Eureka Springs, up $23,396 to $268,658

• Fayetteville, up $163,007 to $4.03 million

• Gentry, up $37,765 to $100,127

• Rogers, up $217,785 to $3.51 million

• Springdale, up $229,715 to $2.84 million.

Cities that saw a decrease in city sales tax receipts were:

• Lincoln, down $3,474 to $48,232.

General News on 11/27/2019