Mississippi News
Mississippi’s historic available state revenue
Mississippi in midst of historic times in terms of available state revenue
Late in the 2021 session, legislative leaders set a revenue estimate of $5.93 billion. That estimate represented the amount of revenue the state was expected to collect in the upcoming fiscal year and the amount anticipated to be available to fund the budget.
That fiscal year ended on June 30, and the state in reality โ based on early numbers โcollected $7.38 billion or about $1.46 billion more than the estimate set way back at the end of the legislative session in April 2021. In other words, lawmakers budgeted based on expected revenue of $5.94 billion, but the state collected $7.38 billion instead, resulting in the surplus.
According to data compiled by the staff of the Legislative Budget Committee, revenue collections for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2021, and ended on June 30 increased 9.5% year over year. That spike in revenue collections comes on top of an increase of a record-breaking 15.9% for the prior fiscal year. It is important to note that in most fiscal years growth in revenue collections is 3% or less.
In terms of state revenue collections, these are truly historic times. The only time in recent memory when the state experienced similar growth was in the 1990s with the start of casino gambling and all the construction related to the new industry and in the 2000s in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the construction that ensued after the Gulf Coast was pummeled. The above average growth for the 1990s lasted for much of the decade while the growth after Katrina was more short-lived, lasting only a couple of years.
Time will tell how long the current revenue growth spurt lasts, but the past two-year period is unprecedented even when compared to what occurred during the casino boon and what happened after Katrina.
During the past fiscal year, sales tax revenue grew 13.8% or $309.3 million while income tax revenue inceased $273.4 million or 12.3%.
In other categories for the just completed fiscal year:
- Oil and gas severance taxes grew $15.5 million or 85%.
- Use tax collections increased $20.2 million or 5%.
- Casino tax revenue grew $15.4 million or 10%.
- Corporate tax collections increased $9.4 million or 1.1%.
- Revenue from the tax on cigarettes, beer and liquor decreased $10.9 million or 3.8%
The staff of the Legislative Budget Committee, which tracks state revenue, has long said that the final surplus tally is not known annually until sometime in August when the books are closed on the prior fiscal year. But based on the early numbers, the surplus โ somewhere around $1.4 billion โ will be the largest recorded at the end of a fiscal year.
The Legislature will most likely decide what to do with those surplus funds during the upcoming legislative session beginning in January. The Legislature entered the 2022 session with about $1.1 billion in surplus funds and spent $956 million of those funds on projects and on specific needs for state agencies, leaving about $150 million in what is known as the capital expense fund.
The Legislature opted to spend the funds on literally hundreds of projects, such as building and renovation projects on various governmental properties and on tourism projects. In the past when such gargantuan surpluses did not exist, the Legislature paid for such projects by issuing long-term debt.
After an initial drop in state tax collections in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, revenue soared and has continued to soar. Threats of a national recession have not slowed Mississippi’s revenue collections.
Mississippi is not unique. Federal stimulus funds provided to deal with the coronavirus have helped spur tax collections in nearly every state. In addition, increased wages have provided the states more revenue from the taxes levied on income. And inflation also has provided states more revenue โ especially for states more reliant on the sales tax such as Mississippi.
After all, a 7% sales tax on groceries now generates more revenue for the state since groceries cost more thanks to inflation. The same can be said for car sales and for just about every other retail item impacted by inflation.
In the 2021 session, legislators did not consider the impact of inflation when budgeting. Most agencies received small increases in funding or no increase at all other than for specified purposes. But in reality, gas and various other items that schools and state agencies must purchase have increased in cost thanks to inflation. If the Legislature does not provide funds for those increased costs during the 2023 session, many schools and other state agencies could have difficulty making ends meet.
Legislators have no excuse not to fund those inflationary needs. No doubt, the Legislature will have the surplus funds needed to do so.
READ MORE: Many states used surpluses to give taxpayers a rebate. Not Mississippi.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Dollar General vehicle theft leads to two arrests in Tupelo
SUMMARY: In Tupelo, Mississippi, 19-year-old Joshua James and a juvenile face charges related to a police pursuit and the theft of a police car. James is charged with Directing a Felony to Be Committed by a Person Under Seventeen, Grand Larceny, and Felony Fleeing, with a bond set at $100,000. The incident began on November 1 when police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. After a chase that ended when the stolen truck crashed south of Verona, James was apprehended, while his juvenile passenger fled in a police car, which was later found wrecked. The juvenile’s case will be handled in Youth Court.
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The post Dollar General vehicle theft leads to two arrests in Tupelo appeared first on www.wcbi.com
Mississippi News
Lowndes Co. Supervisors talk storm safety for certain areas
SUMMARY: The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors has secured funding to construct storm shelters in Crawford, Artesia, and Plum Grove, areas lacking local shelter during severe weather. Each community will receive four FEMA-funded shelters, accommodating up to 20 people each, on government property at a total cost of $103,692, with FEMA contributing $93,000. The supervisors anticipate these shelters will significantly enhance safety for residents during storms. Vice President Jeff Smith highlighted their importance, expressing relief for community members who have long awaited a secure refuge. While installation timelines remain unclear, the project is expected to proceed soon.
The post Lowndes Co. Supervisors talk storm safety for certain areas appeared first on www.wcbi.com
Mississippi News
News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, donโt vote’
SUMMARY: David “Dave” Elliott, a local news anchor for WLOX in Biloxi for nearly 40 years, was fired after expressing political views on social media. He revealed on Facebook that his termination was due to his political opinions, specifically mentioning a video where he advised people not to vote out of hatred for Donald Trump. Elliott characterized his social media posts as satire, distinguishing them from his professional work. He noted that the discussion with his station’s general manager about his dismissal was brief, and the topic of social media was raised. WLOX’s management declined to comment on the matter.
The post News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, don’t vote’ appeared first on www.foxnews.com
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