COUNTY ON TRACK FOR DOUBLE-DIGIT SALES TAX GROWTH, HIGHEST SINCE '86

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau County is continuing to have a banner year in receipts from its half-cent sales tax, and will likely finish with its highest growth rate since 1986.

The county's November check was for $168,463, up just 3.6 percent over November of 1993, however, total receipts for the year are running 10.28 percent ahead of 1993.

"If we stay over 10 percent with our last check, this will be our second largest increase ever, and largest since 11.81 percent in 1986," said County Auditor H. Weldon Macke.

Through 11 months of this year, total receipts are within $84,000 of what was collected for all of last year. The December check is normally one of the four largest. Macke is projecting at least $400,000.

Macke believes the county could end the year with $3.7 million in sales tax collections, and maybe more.

Last year collections totaled $3.450 million.

Macke recalled that in 1986 when the county had double digit growth, total receipts were only around $2.5 million from the sales tax.

"We're talking about considerably higher numbers this time," noted Macke.

In 1993, the county's sales tax growth was 7.02 percent over 1992.