Despite the nationwide economic turmoil brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers spent more than $1.5 billion on taxable goods in Cape Girardeau County over the most recent 12-month period, based on the county’s sales-tax receipts.
The county received its 12th and final monthly 2020 sales-tax payment from the Missouri Department of Revenue last week, adding to a record-setting total for the year.
Cape Girardeau County’s half-cent sales tax added $717,564.02 to the county treasury this month. That amount represented a 12.32% increase over sales-tax revenue received in December 2019.
For the year, Cape County’s sales tax generated a record $7,791,131.24. That was $414,742.18 more than the previous record of $7,376,389.06 set last year, an increase of just over 5.6%.
In recent years, the county’s sales-tax revenue has increased from one year to the next, but typically by less than 0.4%, with the exception of 2017 when the county received almost 2.9% more in sales-tax receipts than it did in 2016.
Meanwhile, the county’s half-cent Proposition One tax generated just over $7.8 million this year, according to a report last week from the Cape County Treasurer Roger Hudson. That’s about $400,000 more than 2019’s Prop One revenue and represented the largest one-year increase in that fund’s revenue in more than a decade.
The county’s recently adopted half-cent law enforcement sales tax, which businesses began collecting in October, generated a total of $574,841.22 as of last week’s report from the county treasurer’s office.
The addition of the law enforcement sales tax effectively increased the county’s use tax, the tax on out-of-state purchases and internet sales, from 1% to 1.5%, equal to the sales tax, Proposition One tax and law enforcement tax rates.
For 2020, the county’s use-tax revenue was slightly more than $1.8 million ($1,801,717.30, to be exact), which was 38.9% more than last year’s previous high of $1,297,196.93. The increase is because of, in large part, additional online sales during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the use tax went into effect in 2015, Cape Girardeau County’s use tax has generated $7,768,121.02.
Virtual job fair to focus on entry-level health care positions
The Missouri Office of Workforce Development (OWD) will host a virtual job fair next week for job seekers looking for entry-level clinical and nonclinical positions in the health care field.
The job fair is in partnership with the Missouri Hospital Association and will take place online from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dec. 22.
Job seekers will be able to search job listings, meet with potential employers, receive tips for resume writing and job interviews, and learn more about Missouri Job Center services and training opportunities.
“Over the course of the last few months, virtual job fairs have proved to be a great way for employers and job seekers to connect in…
Read MoreBusiness: Business Notebook: Record taxable spending in Cape County during
