Cities, county keep sales taxes stable

Sales taxes were mixed across Orange County for April, with Bridge City and Pinehurst showing slight drops for the month this year. However, the sales across the county remain stable compared to last year.

The information is from the Texas Comptroller's Office and the monthly sales tax returns to the local entities have been sent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the inflation rate was 4.9 percent for April of 2023 compared to April of 2022, meaning average prices went up that much. Some of the increases in local sales tax returns will reflect the increases in prices.

The city of Bridge City has a 1.5 percent sales tax and collected $160,445 for April this year, a slight drop of 1.25 percent from the $162,478 collected at the same time last year. The city currently has received $1.12 million during the year to date, compared to $1.13 million for the same time last year, a drop of 1 percent.

The city of Orange with a 1.5 percent sales tax has $749,647 for the month, a 6.18 percent increase from April 2022 returns of $705,964. The city now has $4.48 million for the year to date, an increase of 14.7 percent from the $3.9 million last year.

The city of Pinehurst has a 1.5 percent sales tax and earned $52,434 for April, a decrease of 3.51 percent from April last year with $54,347. For the year to date, the city has collected $327,650, compared to $335,484 last year, a decrease of 2.33 percent.

Vidor has a 1.5 percent sales tax and received $265,073 for April, compared to $266,495 for the month in 2022, a decrease of half a percent. The city is up 2.83 percent for the year to date with $1.8 million, compared to $1.75 million at the same time last year.

The city of West Orange has a 1.25 percent sales tax, slightly less than the other cities in the county. The city collected $116,134 in April, an increase of 4.88 percent from $110,725 for April 2022. The city for the year to date is up 5.6 percent, with $732,436 this year, compared to $693,038 for the same time last year.

Orange County has a 0.5 percent sales tax rate. The county was up in April sales and received $631,710 for April, an increase of 11.56 percent from the $566,238 last year. For the year to date, the county now has $3.86 million, an 8.11 percent increase from the $3.57 million collected for the same period last year.

Orange County Emergency Services District No. 3 has a 1.5 percent sales tax. The district supports the Little Cypress Fire and Rescue Department and is the only special district in the county with a sales tax. The district collected $19,041 for April, down from $23,329 for April 2022. However, the district is up 17.5 percent in sales taxes for the year to date with $165,211, compared to $140,583 last year.