Dateline: March 14, 2002

Sales tax rebates rise in two local cities

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Businesses in Clarendon and Hedley bucked the statewide trend in January and posted gains in sales, according to information from Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander.

The comptroller’s office Friday delivered $271.3 million in monthly sales tax payments to Texas cities, counties, transit departments, and special purpose taxing districts. Sales tax allocations to local governments are down 2.4 percent compared to the $278.2 million paid in March 2001. So far this year, local sales tax allocations are down 0.2 percent compared to the first three months of 2001.

But locally, the cities of Clarendon and Hedley saw significant increases in their sales tax rebates. Clarendon’s rebate grew more than 60 percent from $8,819.10 last year at this time to $14,112.46. Hedley’s sales tax rebate jumped from $35.70 in March 2001 to $285.93 this year.

March sales tax rebates include local sales taxes collected in January and reported to the Comptroller in February.

January sales pushed Clarendon’s year-to-date rebate total to $57,702.91, an increase of 3.73 percent. Hedley’s year-to-date total is down less than one percent.

Another local city did not enjoy increases this month. Howardwick’s rebate dropped 43.94 percent to $489.55 and is down nearly 26 percent for the year.

Statewide, Rylander sent March sales tax rebates of $181.9 million to 1,115 Texas cities, down 1.8 percent compared to March 2001.