Better MS Report

From Better Mississippi Report: As Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Bryant swings across the state taking credit for this weekend’s sales tax holiday, Better Mississippi Report wants to set the record straight. Other than serving as president of the state Senate, Bryant had NOTHING to do with the legislation. State Rep. Percy Watson, a Democrat from [...]

The Sun Herald: The value of property south of Interstate 10 in Jackson County has dropped — some parcels as much as 30 percent — according to a preliminary report from the Jackson County tax assessor. The report means houses are not selling for what they used to, something real estate sales people have been [...]

Jackson Free Press: U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker both voted May 18 to maintain $2 billion in annual tax breaks to the world’s five largest private oil companies. Wicker and Cochran, both Mississippi Republicans, voted “no” on a procedural measure requiring 60 affirmative votes to allow discussion of Senate Bill 940, a bill [...]

First-term representative talks about his accomplishments as a member of the state House From Better Mississippi Report JACKSON – Sate Rep. Brandon Jones has done a great job keeping in touch with his constituents in Jackson County – continuing his efforts with an impressive newsletter which many people received by U.S. Postal Service mail today [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.’s strategy for using a 1-cent sales tax for water system improvements appears workable. The city was successful in getting the 2011 Legislature to authorize a local-option sales tax to fund much-needed water, sewer and street improvements. But Johnson doesn’t like that the new law includes a commission to [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. has swung most City Council members in his favor in expressing discontent with conditions attached to a new law that allows a 1-cent sales- tax option. As a result, no sales-tax vote is on the horizon. Five of six council members at Tuesday’s regular meeting spoke in support [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. on Monday presented a plan to move forward with pursuing a local sales tax and give the city more control of the proposed commission. The Legislature passed a measure that would allow the city to seek a 1-cent local sales tax but required oversight by a 10-member commission. The [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: While it’s understandable the City Council would want to push ahead on the citywide vote to add a penny sales tax to upgrade the city’s infrastructure, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. should take the lead. The city was successful in getting the Legislature to authorize a local-option sales tax to fund much-needed water, sewer [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Calling new legislation that allows Jacksonians to vote on a special 1-cent sales tax “a bad law,” Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said he will not rush to the City Council for approval of an election. He might not have to. At least five and possibly six City Council members are ready to move [...]

Bill Minor, syndicated columnist: Several weeks ago before the 2011 legislative regular session ended with a state budget held together by Band-Aids, I wrote about findings of PEER Committee staffers that last year 80 percent of the state’s 150 top for-profit corporations paid no state income taxes. The information had gotten to two House committees [...]