Overall vehicle and sales tax collections in East Baton Rouge Parish were down 0.3% in 2017, reflecting a continued reduction in flood-related spending during the last four months of the year, compared to 2016, according to the latest report from the city-parish Finance Department.
The city-parish collected nearly $195 million in taxes from consumer and business spending in both the incorporated and unincorporated parts of the parish, down from the $195.4 million collected in 2016.
Much of the loss can be attributed to a decline in taxes collected from the purchase of new cars and trucks over the course of last year. Overall vehicle tax collections in the parish were down 17.2% to $16.5 million by the end of the year, compared to nearly $20 million in tax dollars generated the previous year.
Overall sales tax collections actually rose 1.6% last year. The parish collected more than $178.3 million in sales taxes, compared to $175.5 million in 2016.
Combined tax collections were down 11% month-over-month in December, falling to roughly $18 million from nearly $20 million for the same month in the prior year.
