Editorial

EDITORIAL: Sales, use tax receipts a promising sign for Cape Girardeau Co.

There was good news recently from Cape Girardeau County officials on local sales tax numbers.

County treasurer Roger Hudson reported this month's sales tax receipts were nearly 31% higher than August 2019. The county received $603,401.28 this month, much of it attributed to retail sales in July. In the previous year, the figure was $460,997.58. Year to date, the county's sales tax receipts are up about 4.1% compared to the same period in 2019.

Hudson attributes the increase to a shift in dollars. Fewer people are traveling for vacation this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of spending dollars on travel, people are spending more locally on consumer goods, Hudson said.

The county's use tax receipts on out-of-state purchases are also up this month by 23.25%. Year to date, the use tax receipts are nearly 37.8% ahead compared to the same period in 2019.

This is good news for Cape Girardeau County and indicative of how resilient the local economy is, especially when you consider the economic challenges of the pandemic.

Certainly there are still challenges. Not every business has fully recovered from the pandemic lockdown. But the sales tax receipts are a promising sign and a reminder that this area is an economic hub for the tri-state region.

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