For the third year in a row, Brookhaven has started the fiscal year with higher sales tax receipts than the previous year.

Brookhaven received $567,158.79 is sales tax receipts for July.

The total is up slightly from July 2020, when the city brought in just under $1,500 less. Since Fiscal Year 2021-2022 began July 1, these are also the year-to-date totals.

July 2020’s total was an increase of more than $82,000 over the previous FY2019-2020’s first month.

Of Mississippi’s 362 towns and cities, 35 are larger in population than Brookhaven. Brookhaven had higher sales tax receipts than one-third of them for the month of July.

Cleveland and Canton have the closest populations to the Home Seekers Paradise than any other Mississippi municipality — slightly less and slight more, respectively. Cleveland’s July receipts were $364,079.34 and Canton’s were $318,214.91.

Eleven cities took in more than $1 million in sales tax — Tupelo ($2.1 million), Southaven ($1.5 million), Ridgeland ($1.3 million), Pearl ($1.1 million), Olive Branch ($1.2 million), Meridian ($1.3 million), Hattiesburg ($2.2 million), Gulfport ($2.4 million), Biloxi ($1.3 million), Jackson ($2.5 million) and — although it is the state’s 44th largest city, Flowood had receipts of $1.2 million.

Richland, the 54th largest city, had receipts of $637,973.08 for July, topping Brookhaven’s total.

Thirty-eight cities or towns had tax receipts of less than $1,000 for the month, and four towns took in less than $100 — Gattman, $79.47; Eden, $68.55; Paden, $52.39; and Paulding, $27.34. Satartia, the least-populated town with 48 residents, brought in $112.81.

Sales tax data is provided by the Mississippi Department of Revenue. Sales tax has a three-month cycle. In Month 1, tax is collected by the retailer. In Month 2, tax is reported and paid to the Department of Revenue by the retailer. In Month 3, sales tax income (“diversion”) is paid by the DMDOR to cities. This report is based on the month the tax is collected at the MDOR (Month 2).

MDOR’s sales tax diversion records are available online as far back as 2003, at www.dor.ms.gov.