Dateline: December 27, 2001

Local sales tax rebates increase during 2001

AUSTIN – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander last week sent local governments their final sales tax rebates for 2001. The Comptroller sent $217.8 million to cities and counties, up 5 percent compared to December 2000.

Texas cities received $200.6 million in sales tax revenue, up 4.7 percent compared to December 2000.

Locally, Clarendon’s rebate for December was $15,310.83, down just more than half of one percentage point over the same time last year. Clarendon’s rebates were up 4.5 percent for the entire year.

Howardwick’s December rebate of $862.28 was up from $722.83 in December 2000, and Hedley’s rebate grew from $197.24 last year at this time to $258.98.

Both Howardwick and Hedley saw significant increases in their rebates for the year.

The Comptroller also delivered $74.5 million to Texas’ six metropolitan transit authorities and two city transit systems, and $7.8 million was paid to 66 special purpose districts.

December sales tax rebates represent sales taxes collected in October and reported to the Comptroller in November. The state’s share of sales tax collected during this period was $1.3 billion, up 1.6 percent compared to a year ago.

December’s sales tax rebates bring the total sales tax allocated to local taxing entities in 2001 to $4 billion, an increase of 4 percent compared to $3.8 billion in sales tax allocations in 2000.

In 2001, Texas cities received $2.6 billion in sales tax rebates, a 5.2 percent increase compared to 2000. Counties received $221.8 million, a 4.4 percent increase over 2000.

Sales tax rebates to six metropolitan transit authorities and two city transit departments totaled $993.6 million, up 0.5 percent compared to 2000. Special purpose districts received $97.9 million in sales tax revenue in 2001, an increase of 8 percent compared to last year.

The Comptroller’s next sales tax allocation is scheduled for Friday, January 11, 2002.