WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that counties in Mississippi will share $1.98 million in 2016 Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced the 2016 PILT payments to local governments with tax-exempt federal property within their boundaries. This year’s $1,988,191 award to Mississippi is $154,248 more than the 2015 payment.
Senator Cochran said the money will cover for gaps left in the county budgets.
“The Payment in Lieu of Taxes payment is intended to help offset tax revenue losses in counties with federal properties, including wildlife refuges or national parks. The counties are free to use the funding to supplement their general budgets,” Cochran said.
73 counties will receive 2016 PILT funding, with the five largest payments going to Lafayette County ($220,960), Yalobusha County ($171,684), Sharkey County ($140,873), Grenada County ($118,777), and Wayne County ($86,305).
