By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar sent cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $876.8 million in local sales tax allocations for August, 4 percent more than in August 2018.

These allocations are based on sales made in June by businesses that report tax monthly and on sales made in April, May, and June by quarterly filers.

Sales tax allocation comparison summary reports present data on monthly local sales and use tax payments to local jurisdictions. These payments represent funds identified for local jurisdictions since the previous month’s distribution. When used with other local indicators, these reports may help indicate present and future economic trends.

The city of Vidor is the only city which saw an increase in August payments and year to date payments with $302,973.33 this year compared to $282,941.43 in August 2018, a 7.07-percent increase. Vidor received $2,121,130.99 year to date for 2019 compared to $2,052,676.64 year to date in 2018, a 3.33-percent increase.

Bridge City also saw an increase in payments in 2019 with $169,691.72 compared to $164,228.23 in August 2018. Year to date, the city has seen a 3.37-percent decrease with 2019 year to date payments at $1,196,385.26 compared to $1,238,149.50 in 2018.

Pine Forest saw the greatest decrease in August 2019 with a 20.18-percent decrease when comparing $10,520.13 in 2019 to $13,181.34 in 2018. Year to date, the city is faring better when comparing 2019 of $80,363.76 to 2018 year to date payments of $87,061.88, a 7.69-percent decrease.

West Orange saw the largest year to date decrease with $782,996.48 in 2019 compared to $849,293.23 in 2018, a decrease of 7.8-percent.

While Rose City saw a 13.54-percent decrease in August this year compared to the same month last year, the entity only has a 2.73-percent decrease when comparing 2019 year to date of $159,117.94 to year to date in 2018 of $163,586.68.

The city of Orange has a decrease of 5.83-percent in sales tax payments in August 2019 when comparing $467,753 to the 2018 payment of $496,744.49. Year to date the city has seen a decrease of 6.72-percent in sales tax payments.

While the city of Pinehurst saw a .34-percent decrease for the month of August, it has seen a 3.09-percent decrease in sales tax payments for the year to date.

Orange County also saw decreases in sales tax payments both for this time period and year to date.

In August 2019, the county received $433,483.01 compared to $438,028.90; a 1.03-percent decrease. For year to date, the county received $3,640,668.30 in 2018 compared to $3,613,066.23 in 2019; a .75-percent decrease.