Brookhaven’s receipts from sales tax diversions were down for the month of May from the previous month, but not by much.

The Home Seekers Paradise collected $507,176.92 in May from sales taxes, down from April’s $517,383.92 — a dip of just over $10,000. Year-to-date totals for the city continue to be higher than 2018, however — $5,269,703.21 as opposed to last year’s $5,200,381.83.

Statewide totals are down, as well, though they remain higher than May 2018. Mississippi brought in $37,605,089.75 in May, $3 million less than April but $431,000 more than 2018. The state’s year-to-date total — at $409.86 million — remains firmly above 2018’s marker at $401.84 million.

McComb and Cleveland are Mississippi’s two closest cities in residential population to Brookhaven, slightly higher and slightly lower, respectively. McComb’s receipts for May dropped from $526,205 in April to $452,907, roughly $20,000 below 2018’s numbers. Cleveland’s diversions were $319,800 — $56,000 less than April, but only $1,000 shy of last year’s May receipts.

Twenty cities brought in higher sales tax receipts than Brookhaven, all but three of them with larger populations. The exceptions were D’Iberville on the Gulf Coast, and the Jackson-metropolitan area Richland and Flowood.

Almost half of the 33 cities with higher populations than Brookhaven brought in lower tax diversions. These cities include Natchez, Canton, Greenwood and Clinton, along with Coast cities Moss Point, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, Gautier and Pascagoula.

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, diversion is paid by the Department of Revenue to the cities. This report is based on the month the tax is collected at the Department of Revenue (Month 2).