Tupelo Reports High Sales Tax Numbers

TUPELO, Miss. (Press Release) – The city of Tupelo’s share of state sales tax for December and January has city officials jumping for joy.

Tupelo Chief Financial Officer Kim Hanna said Tupelo received more than $2 million for the month of December, for the first time in the city’s history.

“December sales (February receipts) being up 10 percent is great news,” she said.

In January, which is typically the city’s lowest month for collections, Tupelo’s share of the state sales tax was up 9 percent, which adds $100,000 to the city’s general fund operating revenue.

Hanna reported the sales tax figures Wednesday morning during a city department heads meeting. Generally, the state disperses city’s share of sales tax a couple of months behind.

January’s figures put the city about 6 percent ahead of expectations for the fiscal year, which began October 1, Hanna said.

“The increase in revenue is great news for the city of Tupelo, and a reflection to our complete team approach to economic development, Tupelo’s strength as a hub for retail and recreational spending, and the steadfast efforts of our CVB to market Tupelo as a destination for business and recreational travel,” said Mayor Jason L. Shelton.

Neal McCoy, director of the Tupelo Visitors and Convention Bureau, said his team strategically planned events around the 80th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birthday to bring up numbers, which waned in 2014, based on his year-to-year comparisons.

“We planned a three-day celebration wrapped around the birthday, January 8, in what is typically a slow travel time,” he said. “We sold January 2015 both internationally and domestically as a great time to celebrate Elvis in his hometown.”

Groups from Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and numerous states in the United States poured into Tupelo to celebrate the anniversary.

The investment into the Tupelo Aquatic Center is paying off, McCoy added, allowing CVB to fill more dates on the calendar with events to host larger number of participants.

“The first weekend in January, we hosted nearly 200 swimmers and their families in Tupelo to kick off the 2015 sports calendar,” he said.

Categories: Local News

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