Use tax way up, general revenue sharply down in Cape Girardeau County

Use-tax revenue shot up 85% in Cape Girardeau County in August compared to the same month last year, with $642,825.24 received for county coffers by the state Department of Revenue.

In August 2022, the levy brought in $295,313.25.

Correspondingly, year-to-date figures show the tax on online and out-of-state sales has brought in 20% more compared to January through August 2022 for a total of $2,524,798.20 received.

County Treasurer Roger Hudson said he suspects at least one reason for the healthy jump in use-tax revenue.

"Effective January 1, the state was supposed to start collecting use tax on non-NEXUS vendors and when the department started distributing it to us, it was a huge amount," Hudson said.

The county use tax is dedicated for the county's justice center in Jackson, which opened in 2020.

Other tax fund balances

• General revenue totaled $843,693.19 for August, a $110,332 drop from a year ago, or a 22.6% decline year-to-year.

"You have to remember, August 2022 was the highest monthly figure we've ever seen in the county at $954,025.47," Hudson said. "We don't know how the revenue department processes those funds. There may have been a bunch of carryover, but I'm viewing (last year's one-month increase) as an anomaly not necessarily an indication of a big economic trend."

Year-to-date, thanks to exceptionally strong collection numbers in January and February, county general revenue is up 2.13% from January through August.

• Proposition One, which usually closely tracks general revenue numbers, brought in $843,693.58 in August, also a $110,332 drop from the same month a year ago. Proposition One monies go toward county road and bridge improvements. Voters OK'd implementation of the tax in an August 2006 referendum.
• Law Enforcement Sales Tax revenue for August is down 4% compared to August 2022 to $840,681.14. Year-to-date, however, the tax collection through the first eight months of the year was $6,169,834.80, a more than 3.5% hike from January through August 2022. This levy, originally approved by voters in June 2020, is earmarked for the county sheriff's office.

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