Fort Smith tax revenue for streets down 1.5% through March

Fort Smith sales tax revenue was down once again in March, making city revenues generated from sales and use taxes down around 2% from last year for the first quarter.

The city’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax was $1.846 million in March, down 4.7% from $1.937 million in March 2024, according to the March sales tax report posed by the city.

The March county tax share was down 6.57% from the $1.976 million forecast by the city. The March sales tax report measures February’s transactions.

The year-to-date tax total is $5.911 million, down 2.96% compared with the $6.091 million generated through March 2024. The tax brought in $24.49 million in 2024, 0.95% lower than 2023.

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.

Fort Smith’s 1% street tax – used for maintenance and new construction on streets, bridges, and drainage – generated $2.207 million in revenue in March, a 4.5% decline from the $2.311 million generated in March 2024. The total revenue from the tax reported in March was down 6.34% from the city estimate of $2.359 million.

The tax has generated $7.186 million in revenue so far in 2025, 1.5% less than the $7.293 million generated in the first quarter of 2024. The tax revenue totaled $29.51 million in 2024.

PREVIOUS ANNUAL COLLECTION INFO
Fort Smith 1% sales tax collection for streets
2024: $29.51 million
2023: $29.92 million
2022: $28.65 million
2021: $26.66 million
2020: $22.66 million
2019: $21.73 million
2018: $21.5 million

Fort Smith portion of 1% countywide sales tax
2024: $24.49 million
2023: $24.64 million
2022: $23.55 million
2021: $21.49 million
2020: $18.24 million
2019: $17.26 million
2018: $17.04 million
2017: $16.69 million