Mississippi Today

State ends fiscal year with $700 million surplus, but collections may be slowing

Published

2 years ago

July 10, 2023

Mississippi finished the just completed fiscal year with nearly $700 million in surplus funds, according to a preliminary report compiled and recently released by the staff of the Legislative Budget Committee.

During the fiscal year ending June 30, Mississippi collected $7.69 billion, 10%, above the official estimate.

The official estimate, developed by the legislative leadership with input from the governor and the state’s financial experts, represents the amount of money anticipated to be collected during the fiscal year to fund vital state services such as education, health care and law enforcement. The Legislature provides funding for those vital services based on the estimate.

The amount collected above the official estimate — $699.6 million — will go into surplus funds that can be appropriated by the 2024 Legislature. In recent years as the state revenue collections have grown by unprecedented amounts, the surplus funds have primarily been used for capital expense-related projects, such as to build or renovate governmental buildings and on public transportation and infrastructure needs.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, facing a reelection challenge this year from Democrat Brandon Presley, recently touted the revenue collections as a campaign issue.

The revenue collections “announcement is further proof of our state’s economic strength and the effectiveness of our conservative budgeting practices,” Reeves said in a news release. “This money is burning a hole in Democrats’ pockets. They want to blow through this money by expanding welfare and spending it on pet projects. I want to return it to Mississippians.”

Reeves has touted the elimination of the income tax as a key campaign issue. Presley has advocated for the elimination of the grocery tax and to expand Medicaid to provide health care for primarily the working poor. Various studies indicate that expanding Medicaid will not be a drain on state revenue.

The campaign debate about competing tax cuts is occurring as the state’s revenue collections appear to be slowing. For the previous three fiscal years, Mississippi has experienced revenue growth like most states have enjoyed. Mississippi’s revenue growth for the just completed fiscal year was $303.3 million ,or 4.1% above the amount collected the previous year. For the previous year, year over year growth was $643.3 million, or 9.5%, and for the year before that year over year growth was an unprecedented $934.5 million, or 15.9%.

Other states have enjoyed similar or better revenue growth. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, “General fund spending is on track to grow 12.6% in fiscal 2023, following a record annual increase of 16.8% in fiscal 2022; spending growth in both years was affected in part by an uptick in one-time expenditures. Adjusted for inflation, spending grew 8.1 percent in fiscal 2022 and an estimated 4.4 percent in fiscal 2023.”

The National Association of State Budget Offices has projected a 0.7% decline in state revenue collections for the current fiscal year, which began earlier this month. Growth in recent years was fueled in part, experts say, from the federal funds pumped into states for the COVID-19 recovery effort. But now the impact of those federal funds is diminishing and many experts are anticipating an economic slowdown.

In Mississippi during the just completed fiscal year, revenue from the 7% sales tax levied on most retail items, which is the state’s largest single source of revenue, grew by $180.4 million, or 7%. But income tax collections, the second largest source of revenue, were down $111.2 million, or 4.5%.

Collections for selected other revenue sources include:

The corporate income tax that grew $182.7 million, or 21.4%.
The use tax (a sales tax collected on out of state purchases) that decreased $40 million, or 9.3%.
The tax on insurance premiums that was up $21.6 million, or 6.3%.
The tobacco tax that was down $6 million, or 4.4%.
The casino gambling tax that declined $7 million, or 4.1%.

The state collected $8 million from medical marijuana, which became available for patients under a new law about midway through the just completed fiscal year.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

24 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.