Burnet County gives thanks for sales tax

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Burnet County municipalities have plenty to give thanks for when it came to area commerce in November 2020 after receiving their sales tax allocations this week from Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office.

Every city saw double-digit percentage increases for January 2021, with four cities seeing increases of more than 20 percent above the allocations they received in January 2020.

Hegar announced this week he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $783.2 million in local sales tax allocations for January, 2.6 percent more than in January 2020. These allocations are based on sales made in November by businesses that report tax monthly and includes sales from Black Friday.

In January 2021, Burnet County municipalities received a combined $1,298,987.38, an increase of 16.9 percent, or $187,983.64, above the $1,111,003.74 received during January 2020, making it one of the county’s most profitable Januarys on record. It also exceeded the $1,283,638.25 in sales tax allocations from last month.

Burnet had sales tax receipts for January 2021 go up 25.79 percent from $193,359.19 last year to $243,230.06 this month. That amount was just below the $245,503.89 received last month.

Bertram had a 21.11 percent increase overall in sales tax allocations, going from $25,034.37 in January 2020 to $30,320.11 this month. Last month, Bertram received $32,027.78.

Marble Falls started off the New Year right with a sales tax allocation of $847,265.85, or 13.34 percent above the same amount received in January 2020. The allocation was also $12,323.65 greater than the $834,942.20 received the month before. Sales tax receipts make up the lion’s share of general fund revenues for the county’s largest city.

Sales tax receipts for Horseshoe Bay were up 21.57 percent in January 2021. The city, which straddles the Burnet and Llano county line, received $127,452.00 up from the $104,834.99 received in January 2020 and also greater than the $120,976.74 seen in December.

Granite Shoals saw sales tax revenues rise by 19.31 percent from $27,289.82 in January 2020 to $32,560.96 this January. Last month, Granite Shoals had received $31,450.08.

Cottonwood Shores saw the county’s biggest percentage increase at 39.79 percent in January 2021, up from $12,988.98 to $18,158.40. Last month, the city had received $17,982.74.

Three cities in Burnet County — Marble Falls, Burnet and Granite Shoals — collect the maximum allowable sales tax rate of two percent, while Bertram and Horseshoe Bay collect 1.75 percent and Cottonwood Shores collects 1.5 percent.