Tax Revenue and the First Look Since the Expressway

We may have gotten the first glimpse into how the new 54 Expressway may affect different areas of the lake. The Sales tax numbers for the first three months of 2012 are in and they are very different for two local municipalities. Lake Ozark and Osage Beach tell very different stories. Osage Beach retail sales are not changing, they have yet to rise really at all. Lake Ozark on the other hand is enjoying a double-digit spurt in what is increased sales tax revenue. Both cities received March numbers, which actually represent sales tax generated in January. This may not be a telling sign as of yet because the information from the Missouri Department of Revenue always lags two months behind and this was the height of the winter months.