Fort Smith had a good year in 2021 in sales tax revenues with totals coming in more than 15% higher than those in 2020. According to the December sales tax report, Fort Smith’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax was $21.055 million in 2021, 15.4% higher than 2020 and up 18.14% from budget estimates for the year.
The city’s share of the countywide tax is important because the revenue provides money for the city’s general fund budget, with much of that budget paying for police, fire and other essential city services. The 2021 total was $3.23 million more than city officials budgeted to spend within the general fund budget and $2.81 million more than the tax brought the city in 2020. The tax has posted year-over-year gains for the past five years, but 2021’s jump was the largest seen during that time period by far.