Cape Girardeau County tax receipts up except for online sales

Cape Girardeau County Treasurer Roger Hudson, utilizing data received from Missouri Department of Revenue, reported general tax revenue receipts for May of $679,935.25, up 8.4% from the same month in 2022.

Year-to-date, general sales revenue stands at $3,753,357.33, the strongest five-month start to a year since at least 2017.

By contrast, May's revenue figures represent the lowest monthly total so far in 2023, down from January's high of $800,859.23.

Other fund balances

• Proposition 1, a tax approved by referendum in August 2006, took in $679,935.95 this month. Monies collected from this levy go toward county road and bridge improvements.
• Law Enforcement Sales Tax, OK'd in June 2020, was up 7.8% in May to $672,521.19 — the strongest May for LEST since the county began collecting the tax in October 2020. Money derived from the tax is used for hiring and retaining staff, upgrading departmental equipment and underwriting jail operations.
• Use tax, dedicated to the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center in Jackson, continues to see falling revenue numbers. The tax on out-of-state and online sales brought in $232,640.86 this month, off more than 14% from the same month a year ago, representing the worst May performance in two years. Year-to-date, the tax — whose numbers soared during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — has brought in $1,265,564, off 7% from revenue collected from January through May 2022.

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