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Mississippi lawmakers approve six new local tourism taxes | Mississippi

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – 2023-04-07 14:29:00

(The Center Square) — The Mississippi Legislature approved six new tourism taxes in the recently-concluded session and reauthorized several more.

These taxes start as local bills in the Legislature and require an initial referendum by the citizens of the city or the county where the tourism tax is levied on hotels, restaurants or both. They are required by law to be spent on tourism and recreation projects in the levying municipality or county.

They are assessed in addition to the state’s 7% sales tax.

If a majority of residents approve, the tax goes into effect and local businesses remit the tax to the Mississippi Department of Revenue, which then returns the revenue back to the local government.

According to data from the state Department of Revenue, total tourism tax collections added up to $139 million in 2022, an increase of 16.8% over the $119 million collected in 2021.

Here are the new taxes that will go into effect if approved by voters this fall:

Senate Bill 2519 would create a 2% tax on hotel stays and meals at restaurants in Monticello, which has a population of 1,359. It was authored by Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Brookhaven, and sailed through both chambers with big majorities before being signed into law on Monday by Gov. Tate Reeves.

Senate Bill 2152 would allow the city of Byram to levy an additional 2% tax on restaurants. It was sponsored by Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, and was signed into law on Monday by Reeves.

Senate Bill 3143 was authored by Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, and would allow Lucedale to levy a 1% tax on restaurants. DeBar also authored Senate Bill 3145 which would allow George County, where Lucedale is located, to assess a 3% tax on hotels and a 1% tax on restaurants. If both taxes are passed by voters, Lucedale diners would pay an additional 2%.

House Bill 1667 would create a 3% hotel and restaurant tax in the city of Florence (population 4,623) south of Jackson. It was authored by Rep. Tom Weathersby, R-Florence and passed with minimal opposition. Reeves signed the measure into law on Monday.

House Bill 1807 would create a 2% tax on restaurants, hotels and even vacation rentals such as AirBnB in Eupora and it was approved by Reeves on Monday.

Sometimes lawmakers alter the taxes as well. 

House Bill 1792 extends Starkville’s hotel tax to cover any lodging facility with four or more rooms, removing a loophole for bed and breakfasts. 

Tourism taxes are often reauthorized by a new bill when they expire after three or four years without further input from voters. Cities that received extensions from lawmakers for their tourism taxes include:

Baldwyn’s 2% tax on restaurants and hotels was extended to 2027.

Clinton will have its additional 1% tax on hotels extended to 2027

Grenada’s 3% tax on hotels and 1% levy on restaurants will continue until 2027.

A 1% tax on hotel stays and meals at restaurants will continue in Batesville until 2027.

Columbia had its 3% tax on restaurants and hotels extended to 2027

A 2% restaurant levy in Columbus was extended to 2027.

Brandon had its 2% tax on restaurants that helped pay for a city amphitheater extended to 2028.

The 2% tax on restaurants in Lexington will be extended to 2027.

A 2% levy on restaurants in North Carrollton will continue until 2027, while neighboring Carrollton will have its 2% tax extended as well.

A 2% tax on restaurants in Charleston will continue until 2027.

Waynesboro had its 3% levy on restaurants and hotels extended to 2027.

Pearl’s 3% tax on hotels and 1% tax on restaurants will expire in 2027.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Carolinas wildfires battle helped by rain | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 15:21:00

(The Center Square) – Wildfires continued to burn Monday in the Carolinas, though a sign of optimism arose with a burning ban lifted in 41 South Carolina counties and measured rainfall in both states.

Largest of the fires is Table Rock in Pickens and Greenville counties of South Carolina. The Black Cove fire is burning in North Carolina’s Polk and Henderson counties, the Rattlesnake fire is burning Haywood County, and the Alarka 5 fire is in Swain County.

South Carolina’s Horry County at the Atlantic Ocean and North Carolina border, and the northwestern counties of Spartanburg, Greenville, Pickens and Oconee remain under a burning ban. In North Carolina, all 100 counties have a ban in effect.

The Table Rock fire size is about 13,191 acres in South Carolina and 574 in North Carolina, the Forestry Commission of the former said. Containment is about 30%.

The Persimmon Ridge fire is 2,078 acres in size with 64% containment. Rain Sunday into Monday measured nearly 1 inch.

The Covington Drive Fire in Myrtle Beach is about 85% contained and in mop-up and strengthened firebreaks stage.

In North Carolina, the Black Cove complex of fires are 7,672 acres in size. It includes the Black Cove (3,502 acres, 36% contained), Deep Woods (3,971 acres, 32% contained) and Fish Hook (199 acres, 100% contained) fires. Rainfall overnight into Monday helped the battle.

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Denver ICE arrests man previously deported 16 times | Colorado

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www.thecentersquare.com – Elyse Apel – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 12:48:00

(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Denver announced on Sunday that it arrested Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, a citizen of Mexico who has been removed from the United States, or voluntarily returned to Mexico, 16 times since 2002.

Most recently, Cruz-Mendoza was sentenced for “reckless driving resulting in death” after killing one man and injuring others in a Colorado car accident in June 2024.

Sentenced to just one year in jail in August 2024, Cruz-Mendoza was already being released from Jefferson County’s Detention Center, according to Denver 7. ICE agents made the arrest upon Cruz-Mendoza’s release from jail.

This was just one of a series of arrests of criminal illegal immigrants that ICE Denver reported it made last week.

  • March 25: Arrested Rafael Cabrera-Barron, who has already been removed from the United States twice. Cabrera-Barron has convictions for sex assault on a child and currently has pending charges for burglary, trespass, child abuse and possession of controlled substance.
  • March 25: Arrested Juan Nava-Dominguez. Nava-Dominguez has previous convictions for possession of fentanyl and served 8 years in prison.
  • March 26: Arrested Victor Alonso-Martinez. Alonso-Martinez has convictions for illegal re-entry and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
  • March 27: Arrested Gabriel Vergara-Cabanas. Vergara-Cabanas has a criminal history that includes charges for kidnapping, menacing, assault, harassment and sexual-related offenses.
  • March 28: Removed a “Salvadoran criminal alien” wanted for the crimes of aggravated homicide, displacement of individuals, unlawful groupings and aggravated robbery in El Salvador.

This comes as Denver politicians and Colorado Democrats have been outspoken in their disagreement with President Donald Trump’s deportations efforts, as previously reported by The Center Square.

In early March, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding his city’s sanctuary city immigration policies.

During testimony, Johnston “defended Denver’s values.”

“As we all heard, he referred to Denver not as a ‘sanctuary’ but as a ‘welcoming’ city, which has opened the floodgates for violent gangs like Tren de Aragua to take over our communities,” Colorado’s Republican members in the U.S. House said a joint statement in response to Johnston’s testimony. “The people of Colorado deserve better… It is time that Colorado Democrats come to the table and repeal sanctuary policies and protect Coloradans.”

Elyse Apel is a reporter for The Center Square covering Colorado and Michigan. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Elyse’s writing has been published in a wide variety of national publications from the Washington Examiner to The American Spectator and The Daily Wire.

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Everyday Economics: Stock market down, stagflation concerns, fragile incomes | National

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www.thecentersquare.com – Orphe Divounguy – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 06:29:00

(The Center Square) – This week’s economic calendar is packed with key reports and influential Fed speeches, set to provide crucial clues amid escalating uncertainty. Recent inflation data have fanned stagflation fears – with core PCE inflation nudging up to 0.4% month-over-month (from 0.3% in January) and the year-over-year rate climbing from 2.7% to 2.8% – raising concerns that rising price pressures might persist even as nominal income growth continues to moderate. Falling inflation-adjusted incomes could hurt the consumer.

Consumer Spending and Income Growth in Question

A $15 billion decline in spending on food services, travel and hotels reveals that households are making tough trade-offs. With the personal savings rate climbing to 4.6% (up from 4.3% in January and 3.3% in December), it’s clear that consumers are building precautionary buffers amid uncertainty.

Manufacturing & Services: The ISM Outlook

The ISM Manufacturing and ISM Services indices will be in focus this week. These surveys, which provide hints about the health of the manufacturing and services sectors through questions on production, new orders, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories, include a Prices Index that has been on the rise. With input costs increasing, rising prices in manufacturing could signal broader inflationary pressures. Furthermore, April 2 – now being touted by the new administration as “liberation day” – is expected to result in higher market volatility.

Employment Report: The Ultimate Wild Card

Perhaps nothing will shake financial markets more than the upcoming BLS employment report. Uncertainty over the current policy climate means businesses will likely continue to hold back on hiring new workers – hiring rates are already at their lowest levels since 2014. Although layoffs have remained somewhat in check, federal government job cuts could begin to show up in upcoming jobs data. Along with falling consumer and business confidence, the report is expected to show a downtick in both employment and wage growth for March.

Looking Ahead

Since the last week of February, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite have declined by 4.9%, 7%, and 10.8%, respectively. For every dollar of lost market value, consumer spending typically drops by 2 to 5 cents, and with the stock market correction already underway in March, early data suggest that the economy is stalling. Yet, in the midst of these challenges, a slowdown in the growth rate of the labor force means wages are still rising faster than prices. Without further shocks and a larger slowdown in labor demand, the U.S. economy might be able to stave off a recession.

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