Bridge City businesses showed strong sales during the month of May based on sales tax payments to the city last week.

The Texas Comptroller's Office collects the sales taxes for entities that collect them. The office keeps the state's share and then sends the amounts to entities once a month. Gasoline and fuel taxes are in a separate category and do not go to local entities.

Bridge City had a 10.95 percent increase in the May sales taxes this year compared to last year, and is now at 9.17 percent up for the year to date, which is now at seven months of collections.

The city of Orange had a drop in monthly sales this year, but is still strong with a 12.47 percent increase for the year to date. Pinehurst continues to have a drop in collections for the month and the year to date, while Vidor is almost stagnant. West Orange has slight increases.

Orange County has strong overall sales tax collections. The county has a 0.5 percent (half-cent per dollar) sales tax rate and collected $577,300 for May, compared to $491,535 in May 2021, a 17.44 percent increase. The county is now at $4.15 million for the year to date, compared to $3.8 million last year, a 9.03 percent increase.

The city of Bridge City has a 1.5 percent sales tax. The city has $173,100 for May, compared to $156,000 in May last year, a 10.95 percent increase. The city has $1.3 million for the year to date compared to $1.2 million last year, a 9.17 percent increase.

Orange has a 1.5 percent tax rate and collected $505,820 for May, a 1.85 percent drop from May 2021 with $515,362. The city is up 12.47 percent for the year to date after collecting $4.41 million, compared to $3.92 million last year.

Pinehurst also has a 1.5 percent sales tax and collected $53,135 for May, down from $62,552 last year, a decrease of 15.05 percent. The city is now at $388,620 for the first seven months of the year, down 6.18 percent for the same time last year.

Vidor with a 1.5 percent sales tax is up slightly, 2.61 percent, after collecting $270,765 for May, compared to $263,856 last year. The city has a slight decrease, 0.5 percent, for the year to date with $2.02 million this year compared to $2.03 million last year.

West Orange has the lowest of the city sales tax rates with 1.25 percent. The city collected $109,657 for May, up from $105,180 for May 2021, an increase of 4.25 percent. The city has $802,965 for the year to day, a 1.11 percent increase from $793,820 last year.

The Little Cypress Fire and Rescue Department, or Orange County Emergency Services District No. 3, is the only special district in the county with a sales tax. The department's sales tax is 1.5 percent. The district collected $22,829 for May, compared to $17,351 last year, and is now at $163,441 for the year to date, up from $161,391 last year.