judge@white-county.org

    Arkansas' sales tax increased to 6 cents on the dollar Monday.
   The state Legislature passed the tax bike during the recent special session on education.
   The increase from 5.125 is expected to raise about $338 million a year for public schools in its first fiscal year, which begins July 1, and $348 million the following fiscal year.
   Compared to surrounding states, Arkansas' sales tax will still be lower than Mississippi and Tennessee, which have a 7 cent tax, but higher than Oklahoma (4.5 cent), Missouri (4.225 cent), and Louisiana (4 cent).

   The state sales tax on various purchases will be:
   $25,000 car, $1,500, up from $1,281.25.
   $10,000 boat, $600, up from $512.50.
   $100 utility bill, $6, up from $5.13.
   $50 in groceries, $3, up from $2.56.
   $5 fast-food value meal, 30 cents, up from 26. cents.

   Under the same law that raised the Arkansas state sales tax, the state sales tax will be extended, beginning July 1 to some services not currently taxed. These include wrecker and towing services, dry cleaning and laundry services, body piercing, tattooing and electrolysis services, and control services.
  The extension is expected to raise $21.5 million the first fiscal year and $23.4 million the next year.
  Under another new law to raise revenues for public schools, the corporate franchise tax will go up.
  The level of franchise tax paid depends on the type of business and amount of assets or capital stock Currently, the minimum franchise tax is $50 with a cap of $1.075 million per company that pays it Under the new law, the minimum tax will increase to $150, and the cap will be removed.
   Corporations that have paid $100 in franchise taxes will pay $300; those that paid $200 will pay $400, and those that pay 0.27 percent of the value of their outstanding capital stock will pay 0.3 percent of the value.