Mississippi

Could Mississippi get rid of its state income tax? What Mid-South residents should know

Published

1 year ago

January 22, 2025

Could Mississippi get rid of its state income tax? What Mid-South residents should know

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a tax cut that would eliminate the state income tax among other measures.

There is uncertainty as to whether the Senate will pass the Bill, as leadership there is considering a different approach to tax cuts. House Bill 1, referred to as the Build Up Mississippi Act, would not go into effect until Fiscal Year 2027 if passed this year.

Here’s what to know about the state’s income tax and what would come of HB 1.

Mississippi state income tax

House Bill No. 1, dubbed the Build Up Mississippi Act, passed with 88 votes. Of them, at least nine were Democrats and two were independents. There were 24 no votes, consisting only of Democrats.

If the Bill is passed by both committees, it would:

Eliminate $2.2 billion in income tax revenues over 10 years. The cut would become active once the state’s income tax is phased down to 4% by Fiscal Year 2027.
Reduce state sales tax on groceries from 7% to 2.5% while adjusting tax structure on other items to offset the costs.
Removes state sales tax diversions to municipalities and replaces it with a local-option 1.5% local sales tax. Cities will have the option to opt-out of this tax structure. Lamar said this will result in local tax revenue increases across the state.
Sales tax collected at 1.5% in counties will be diverted to road and bridge infrastructure needs at the county level.
Add a fuel sales tax of 5% on retail sale of gasoline. This would be in addition to the state fuel tax already imposed. Lamar said this would add $400 million to the state budget, and all of those additional funds would go to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for road and bridge projects.
The $80 million that was going to MDOT per year from gambling revenue will now be headed toward the Public Employee Retirement Systems of Mississippi to address a $25 billion deficit in future retirement benefits.
Establishes a “budget stabilization fund” that will act as a secondary rainy-day fund.

The bill, however, will not include an income tax cut for sex workers in Mississippi, who will be taxed at 5% of their income once the tax cut is fully phased in.

Before voting on the bill, several Democrats questioned whether the tax package would actually end up costing the state more money down the road and causing revenue shortfalls. They also questioned whether moving to a consumption-based economy would result in poorer people paying more money out of pockets because of increases in costs due to the new gas tax and sales tax model.

After 2016 when the state passed several tax cuts, revenue shortfalls ensued, causing former Gov. Phil Bryant to make emergency budget cuts several times. Numerous county Mississippi State Department of Health County offices closed and state grant matches for federally funded infrastructure projects were put at risk.

Under the House plan, sales taxes excluding groceries would essentially amount to 8.5%, which still puts Mississippi at a lower sales tax than its neighbors. Mississippi has an average sales tax of 7.06% when combining state and local taxes.

Arkansas and Tennessee taxes

Arkansas has a state income tax between 2% and 4.40%. Depending on how much a person earns, they can pay more or less in taxes. Here, the sales tax is 6.5%. Combined, local and state sales taxes come out to be about 9.45% which makes it the third most expensive for sales tax. Arkansas’ grocery tax is 0.125% making it the lowest grocery tax of the 13 states that still have one.

Tennessee does not have a state income tax and is one of eight states to not have one. The sales tax in Tennessee is 7% but ends up being about 9.55% when coupled with local sales taxes. This makes Tennessee the second for most expensive sales taxes in the country behind Louisiana with 9.56%. The grocery tax is 4% in Tennessee making it the fifth most expensive state for groceries.

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Mississippi

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

Published

7 hours ago

April 5, 2026

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An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

A 174-year-old brick parsonage house on a bluff above the Mississippi River is now for sale in Natchez, Mississippi, asking $1.985 million.

The home, completed in 1852, was built by architect James Hardie as a residence for Methodist ministers, according to historical records. The land was donated by Peter Little, a wealthy cotton broker and slave owner who built the city’s historic Rosalie mansion.

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The house was initially built as a one-story residence with an “English” basement and a carriage house; a two-story annex was added later, according to the listing with Douglas Adams of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty, informed by the Historic Natchez Foundation.

“The location is what is superb because it is one of the highest points in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River,” said Adams, who posted the listing Thursday.

In 1893, the Parsonage changed hands for the last time when it was purchased by James and Agnes Metcalfe, and has been in the Metcalfe family ever since.

Known as the Parsonage, the residence is considered a classic example of Greek Revival architecture from the pre-Civil War South, with a wide portico, raised porch and sash windows. It is located on South Broadway Street, in a commanding position that overlooks Bluff Park, the Mississippi and downtown Natchez. It spans 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms, two formal parlors flanking a central hall and richly detailed interiors that include original exposed-brick walls, fireplaces and stained-glass windows.

In addition to a front porch, the property includes several outdoor terraces and balconies, including a second-floor wraparound deck and a balustraded rooftop—which has the best vantage point from which to see the wide views.

The home was occupied for many years by the late Albert and Gay Metcalfe, who married at the Parsonage in 1959, and would host events for friends. “It became something of a social hub,” Adams said. “They’d host families to celebrate someone’s life; there may have been some weddings that occurred there.”

Gay Metcalfe died in 2023 and the heirs are her three children, Adams said. The family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Hardie, the architect, was a Scottish immigrant who built several other notable buildings in Natchez, including most prominently St. Mary Basilica, a Gothic Revival structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Homewood plantation, a Greek Revival mansion.

MORE: Manhattan’s Richest Home Buyers Were Out in Force as $10 Million-Plus Sales Surged in the First Quarter

According to local lore, the Parsonage was commissioned by Little because his wife, Eliza’s religious devotion led her to welcome every passing minister into their home, according to “Natchez,” a 1940s history of the city. Displeased with the “long siege of such guests,” Little decided to build a separate home for his wife’s visitors.

Little’s own mansion at Rosalie still stands today near the site of the 1729 massacre of the Natchez Native Americans, from whom the city takes its name.

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Mississippi Children’s Museum hosts annual Easter event

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20 hours ago

April 5, 2026

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Mississippi Children’s Museum hosts annual Easter event – WJTV

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Measuring Mississippi State baseball’s concern level after sweep by Georgia at home

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1 day ago

April 4, 2026

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Measuring Mississippi State baseball’s concern level after sweep by Georgia at home

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball swept its previous two SEC opponents but fell on the other end against Georgia.

No. 4 MSU (25-7, 7-5 SEC) was swept by No. 5 Georgia (27-6, 10-2) at Dudy Noble Field. It was the first time MSU was swept under first-year coach Brian O’Connor.

Mississippi State lost 10-9 on April 2, 3-1 on April 3 and 8-5 in 10 innings on April 4.

The three straight losses created the longest losing streak of the season. Georgia’s last sweep of MSU at Dudy Noble Field was in 2004.

“I’m not concerned,” O’Connor said. “Listen, you see it all over the place in this league. People get swept and things like that. When I talk to the team, I talk about taking each game like its own individual game.

“… There were certainty plenty of bright spots, but just not enough. I believe we got away from what got us to this point for whatever reason. We have to own that; we have to stand up as men and acknowledge what happened and make the adjustments to get back on the right track and play winning Mississippi State baseball.”

Star third baseman Ace Reese launched a shot that looked like it was going to win Game 3 in the ninth inning, but it was caught at the warning track.

“It’s not concerning at all,” Reese said. “We’re a great ball club. I know what we can do. It was just unfortunate. We didn’t play good enough. We didn’t hit in situations well enough, and we didn’t pitch at the right time well enough.”

What Brian O’Connor wants more of from Mississippi State baseball

O’Connor said he agreed with a reporter’s observation that there was negative body language from Mississippi State players throughout the series.

“Words matter, and I met with the team before the stretch this morning and talked to them specifically about that and what a winner’s mentality looks like,” O’Connor said. “We just have to be better from that standpoint. We have to grow in that area. We showed some immaturity this weekend, and Georgia exposed that.”

Mississippi State fell behind 10-2 in Game 1 in the fifth inning after a poor start from Charlie Foster and relief appearance by Jack Gleason. MSU scored seven unanswered runs after that but failed to drive in the tying run in the ninth inning.

MSU got another outstanding pitching start from Tomas Valincius in Game 2, but never scored after the first inning. Game 3 was tied at 5-5 through six innings until Michael O’Shaughnessy hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning.

Mississippi State left 32 batters on base throughout the series and batted 1-for-22 in the final two games with runners in scoring position.

Georgia also scored numerous runs throughout the series because of passed balls and wild pitches.

“Just overall a tough weekend,” O’Connor said. “That can happen in this league. It’s no excuse. We don’t accept it. We just have to learn from it and play be a little bit more tough-minded and approach the game the right way.”

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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