FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The City of Springfield's March 2016 1% general sales tax check from the Missouri Department of Revenue is up 24%, or $942,338, compared to the amount budgeted. The check reflects sales processed by the state in February from transactions made primarily in January. The sales tax check was $4,839,775, compared to the budgeted amount of $3,897,437. “We are happy to see strong revenues for March, but fluctuations in sales tax revenues from month to month are very normal. We determine our monthly budget by looking at the same month over a 10-year time span and also in the perspective of year-to-date figures,” explains Director of Finance Mary Mannix Decker. While this increase may be somewhat attributed to an increase in economic activity, numbers are also affected by the timing of collections. That said, Mannix Decker indicated that car sales are up in the first quarter of 2016. When comparing to the same month last year, March receipts were up $4,326,688, or 11.86% over March of 2015. On a year-to-date basis, revenues are up 6% over budget, or $1,927,676. The City heavily relies on sales tax revenues as its main source of revenue to fund vital services, such as police and fire operations. In Springfield, approximately 60% of revenue in the General Fund comes from sales tax and use tax. ### For more information, please call Mary Mannix Decker, Finance Director, at 417-864-1399 or Cora Scott at 417-864-1009 or 417-380-3352.