Cherokee County cities post a mixed bag of returns during holiday season

While cash registers jingled during the busy Christmas season, most cities in Texas saw an increase in sales tax revenue - a 6.4 average jump.

However, retailers in Cherokee County reported a mixed bag for the holiday season.

Posting fewer sales in December compared to the same period a year ago were Wells, 12.91 percent decline; Jacksonville, 10.77 percent and Alto, 1.8 percent.

Rusk retailers reported an increase for December 2006 compared to a year ago with 9.56 percent increase.

Cuney's sales tax base increased 65.54 and New Summerfield's return jumped 10.65 percent.

Wide swings, particularly in cities the size of Cuney and New Summerfield, can experience fluctuations if one of their retailers misses the filing deadline for submitting sales tax rebates. A sharp decline during one reporting period generally is followed by an up-tick the following month.

State Comptroller Susan Combs said that while collections are up statewide, they are not in double digits. "This confirms what retailers reported earlier regarding their holiday sales. Sales were up, but not as strong as some businesses expected."