JACKSON, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) — The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor will begin diverting tax revenue from several municipalities that are behind on their audits, State Auditor Shad White announced.
The withheld funds will be used to pay for the delinquent and outstanding audits. According to the auditor’s office, municipalities without up-to-date audits often lose eligibility for grants and are barred from borrowing money.
“While our office does not have the legal authority to actually audit cities using our staff, we do have authority to divert municipalities’ tax revenue to force them to be audited,” White said. “For taxpayers in those municipalities, they deserve to know how their money is spent. Someone must stand up for taxpayers.”
The state has already diverted funds from Grenada, Canton, Holly Springs, Indianola, Maben and Tchula.
The latest cities facing fund diversions are:
Columbus
Clarksdale
Senatobia
Louisville
Winona
Okolona
The auditor’s office stated that suspected fraud can be reported at www.osa.ms.gov or by phone at 1-800-321-1275 during normal business hours.
