Orange sees big drop in sales tax payments while others are up

Sales tax returns for April show people are buying goods across the county at a healthy rate every where except the city of Orange, according to statistics from the Texas Comptroller's Office.

The office sent sales tax shares to the entities in June to cover the sales from April. Orange was drastically down compared to sales at the same time last year. The city had above average increases for two years, but the sales appear to be slacking off.

Bridge City showed the biggest increase with 12.2 percent more for sales tax incomes for the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year.

All the cities in the county have a sales tax rate of 1.5 percent, or 1.5 penny for every dollar spent on qualifying items.

Bridge City got $175,140 for the month, compared to $160,445 for the same month last year, an increase of 9.15 percent. For the year to date, the city has collected $1.257 million, compared to $1.12 million for the same period in 2023, an inccrease of 12.2 percent.

Orange's payment this month was $574,540, down from $749,647 for the same month last year, a drop of 23.35 percent. So far this calendar year, the city has collected $3.65 million, down from $4.48 million last year, a decrease of 18.54 percent.

Pinehurst was up in the monthly and year-to-date categories, with $62,157 for the month, compared to $52,434 last year, an increase of 18.4 percent. The city has received $365,292 for the year, compared to $327,650 for the same time period last year, an increase of 11.48 percent.

Vidor had increases, but not as large as other cities. The city for April received $269,713, compared to $265,073 for April last year, an increase of 1.75 percent. The city is now at $1.855 million for the year to date, a 3 percent increase from $1.8 million last year.

West Orange also had healthy increase with $136,732 for the month, up 17.73 percent from the $111,134 for April 2023. The city is now at $781,477 for the first six months of theyear, compared to $732,436 for the same period last year, an increase of 6.69 percent.

Orange County has a sales tax of 0.5 percent, or a half-penny per dollar spent. The county was up a whopping 18.27 for the month with $757,126, compared to $631,710 last year. For the year to date, the county has received $4.159 million, up from $3.864 million for the same period in 2023, an increase of 7.61 percent.

Orange County Emergency Services District 3 for the Little Cypress Fire and Rescue Department, is the only special district in the county with a sales tax approved by voters. The district collected $26,553 for April and is now at $161,019 for the first six months of the year.