St. Mary Parish sales and use tax collections appear to be starting a positive trend that may continue through the rest of 2018, Parish Sales and Use Tax Director Jeff LaGrange said. In March, officials collected $2.67 million in sales and use taxes, a 7 percent increase from the $2.49 million collected in March 2017. Financial audits resulted in $55,016 in March collections compared to $3,100 in March 2017. Excluding audits, March collections increased 4.9 percent. Hotel tax collections brought in $40,315 during March, a 9.7 percent rise from the $36,768 in the same month of 2017. “I do believe ...