The Town of Sumrall continues to see rapid growth, as evidenced by the monthly tax report from the Mississippi Department of Revenue showing the month of October yielded the highest sales tax collections in town history.
For October 2021, the town brought in $83,089 in collections, up from the $68,421 garnered in October 2020. Sales tax collections run two months behind; in other words, the October report reflects sales that were made in August.
“I think it’s awesome,” Mayor Joel Lofton said. “I think COVID brought a lot of bad things to a lot of our lives, but (at the same time) folks have realized a lot of things they would often go elsewhere to get, they can get right here at home.
“(Shopping local) is great for all of us.”
Lofton attributes the high numbers, in part, to new businesses that are opening, as well as existing businesses that are further developing their product lines.
“We’ve got a lot of great stores in our downtown area that changed and expanded over the last couple of years, as we’ve all had to do because of situations that were so unpredictable,” he said. “But I think that it’s a great sign for our community, that we have changed and we’ve adapted.
“Even though prices are going up, folks are investing in their community by shopping close to home.”
Higher tax sales also can be attributed to inflation, as consumers are seeing prices rise on everything from groceries to gas to building supplies. Lofton said although inflation isn’t good on the pocketbook, it does bring extra dollars into the city.
“When you’re paying a dollar more for an item this year than you did last year, that’s a little more sales tax that’s coming in,” he said. “It’s based on the cost, and unfortunately, prices do appear to be rising across the board.
“As prices rise, the same amount of product may be purchased, but the dollar cost is higher, and it’s bringing in more tax revenue. I wouldn’t dare say that inflation is good for the town’s economy, but I think that is one of the impacts that none of us have any ability to deal with – we all have to eat, we all have to fuel our vehicles to go to work.”
Going back a little further, the following is a breakdown of Sumrall’s sales tax collections for the past few months:
- September 2021: $73,645, up from $58,273 in September 2020.
- August 2021: $76,983, up from $62,097 in August 2020.
- July 2021: $82,406, up from $54,737 in July 2020.
- June 2021: $79,857, up from $75,177 in June 2020.
- May 2021: $81,093, up from $54,936 in May 2020.
- April 2021: $76,545, up from $62,870 in April 2020.
- March 2021: $66,576, up from $41,621 in March 2020.
- February 2021: $70,950, up from $45,272 in February 2020.
- January 2021: $68,530, up from $50,524 in January 2020.
To keep the sales tax figures going in an upward direction, Lofton and other officials plan to encourage residents to save time and gas by staying in Sumrall and shopping local.
“It saves yourself from having to drive down Highway 98 during Christmas season; that’s always a rough drive,” Lofton said. “We want to encourage folks to do what they can right here in town, and take advantage of our local businesses that we’ve got.
“It gives us a chance to shop with our neighbors and help out locally.”
