Sales Tax Collections Drop in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (AP) — Sales tax collections dipped 1.5 percent in June but city officials remain optimistic about prospects for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

A local newspaper reports Philadelphia recorded $332,701 in sales tax collections in June, down from the $338,009 reported for the same month a year earlier.

Sales tax collections make up more than half of Philadelphia’s revenue stream and pays for such city operations as police, fire and street maintenance.

Mayor James Young says he was surprised by the numbers but not discouraged.