Red Bay sales tax receipts up

By Staff
Nathan Strickland
RED BAY- City officials were overjoyed to see January’s sales tax numbers still increasing compared to last year’s figures.
Mayor Bobby Forsythe announced an almost 12 percent increase in sales tax revenue numbers for the month of January compared to numbers around the same time last year during Monday night’s city council meeting. The numbers showed an increase difference of $6,213.22 over Jan. 2009 figures.
Forsythe said even though this year’s numbers factor in the one-cent county tax increase that wasn’t established in Jan. 2009, the town has had increases each month since Oct. 2009.
Councilman Brad Bolton said city officials have served as role models, staying home and shopping in town as much as possible to show their support for local businesses.
Bolton agrees with Forsythe that the one-cent sales tax increase affected the numbers a little, but Red Bay’s numbers have been increasing for several months now. Bolton said industry has played a significant role in the process by getting their businesses back on track.
Bolton believes jobs have brought people back into the community, which means more money being spent in local convenient stores as well as restaurants and grocery stores.
Forsythe hopes the trend will continue to grow every month in the future.