Harlan Kirgan
More than $69.9 million in local sales taxes were collected in St. Landry Parish in 2019.
That’s about $845 annually per person in the parish with a population of 82,764.
The total doesn’t include state sales taxes.
The St. Landry Parish School Board collected the most in sales tax of any parish entity — a combined $24,721,185 in 2019.
Cankton is at the bottom with collections of $48,991 in 2019.
Total St. Landry Parish sales tax collections in 2019 were up 1.6% over the 2018 total, according to statistics released Monday by the St. Landry Parish School Board Sales Tax Division.
In 2019, collections totaled $69,912,003, up $1,070,488 over 2018’s total.
The parish sales and use tax total includes collections for the parish government, School Board, solid waste, law enforcement, special tax districts and municipalities.
There are 18 parish entities collecting sales taxes in St. Landry Parish.
Total parish sales tax collections are up 8% compared to the $64,683,530 collected in 2016.
Total sales tax collections in Eunice in 2019 were $5,435,365, down 1.8% or $96,899 from 2018’s total.
In Opelousas, 2019’s total was $9,847,143, a 2.6% or $252,844 increase over the 2018 collections.
In Road District 1, which collects a 2 percent sales tax in unincorporated areas of the parish to fund the Smooth Ride Home program, collections totaled $6,371,208, a 7.9% or $548,949 decrease from the 2018 total.
In December to December comparisons:
Eunice sales tax collections totaled $429,931, down $37,169 or 8% from December 2018.
Opelousas sales tax collections were $710,563, down $4,890 or 0.7% from December 2018.
St. Landry Parish Road District 1 sales tax collections were $450,791, down $60,619 or 11.9% from December 2018.
Total St. Landry Parish sales tax collections were $5,662,823, up $289,248 or 5.4% from December 2018.
Eunice sales tax collections in December were $429,931, down 8.5% or $39,846 from the $469,777 collected in November 2019.
Opelousas sales tax collections in December were $710,563, down $126,985 or 15% from the November 2019 total.
The St. Landry Parish total sales tax collections in December 2019 were $5,662,822, up $475,516 or 9.2% from the November 2019 collections.
Other sales entities in St. Landry Parish and their 2019 and 2018 totals are:
— School Board, $12,940,550 in 2019; $12,016,617 in 2018.
— St. Landry Parish Solid Waste, $9,424,333 in 2019; $9,560,607 in 2018.
— Washington, $149,564 in 2019; $139,161 in 2018.
— Melville, $112,086 in 2019; $154,803 in 2018.
— Grand Coteau Economic Development, $190,653 in 2019; $156,803 in 2018.
— Grand Coteau, $335,225 in 2019; $286,393 in 2018.
— Arnaudville, $577,016 in 2019; $572,213 in 2018.
— Opelousas Downtown Development, $66,941 in 2019; 0 in 2018.
— Port Barre, $$660,218 in 2019; $630,937 in 2018.
— Sunset, $734,979 in 2019; $669,593 in 2018.
— Krotz Springs, $389,934 in 2019; $337,364 in 2018.
— Cankton, $48,991 in 2019; $43,319 in 2018.
— School employee pay fund, $11,780,635 in 2019; $11,951,037 in 2018.
— Law enforcement, $8,835,502 in 2019; $8,963,621 in 2018.
— Central Economic Development, $1,479,063 in 2019; $1,313,011 in 2018.
The local sales tax rates in Eunice are 2.45 percent city and 3.55 percent parish.
Local sales tax rates in unincorporated St. Landry Parish are 5.55 percent parish tax rates that includes the 2 percent Smooth Ride Home Program tax.
The sales tax numbers include a use tax, which is paid on items used, stored or consumed. The sales tax is collected on a transaction.
The numbers reported for December collections reflect sales in November.