Paragould sales tax petition heads to Aug. 5 deadline: checkout math

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Paragould voters may get a chance to weigh in on a city sales-tax measure this November, but the process is now tied to a hard deadline: petition organizers must submit signatures by Aug. 5.

According to reporting by KAIT8, the petition drive needs 900 signatures to get the measure on the ballot, and organizers reported collecting about 200 so far. With the gap still wide, the Aug. 5 date is the one residents may want to watch most closely right now.

What Paragould’s current sales tax rate is (9.375%) i

Right now, the total sales tax rate shoppers see in Paragould is 9.375%. The City of Paragould breaks that combined rate into three parts:

• State: 6.50%
• Greene County: 1.375%
• Paragould city: 1.5%

That’s why a “city sales tax” change can affect what you pay at checkout: if the city portion changes, the total percentage on receipts changes too.

Tax at checkout: simple examples using the current 9.375% i

The examples below are illustrative and assume the current combined rate of 9.375%.

• $25 purchase: sales tax adds about $2.34 (total about $27.34)
• $50 purchase: sales tax adds about $4.69 (total about $54.69)
• $100 purchase: sales tax adds about $9.38 (total about $109.38)

Those numbers are the baseline residents can use for day-to-day budgeting before any voter-approved city tax change, if one makes it onto the ballot.

If voters approve a city sales-tax measure, what could change? i

The petition is aimed at bringing a city sales-tax measure to the November ballot. If voters approve it, the city portion of the sales tax rate could change—changing the final percentage charged at checkout.

Exactly how the total rate changes will depend on the ballot language, so residents who want the dollar impact should focus on what the measure would do to the city component.

Grocery and food nuance: state rules changed Jan. 1, 2026 i

Sales tax on everyday items can be confusing, especially for groceries. The City of Paragould’s tax page includes a “sales tax on food” breakdown that lists a state food-tax rate of 0.125% and shows a total food sales tax of 3.0%.

At the same time, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration lists the statewide State Reduced Food Tax as 0.000% effective 01/01/2026.

Because state treatment changed effective Jan. 1, 2026, shoppers may see differences compared with older “food tax” figures. For the most accurate answer for what you pay now, check what your receipt shows for the specific items you buy.

What to watch next: Aug. 5 and the road to the November ballot i

For this petition effort, Aug. 5 is the deadline that determines whether there’s enough verified support to put the city sales-tax measure before voters in November. With reporting of roughly 200 of 900 signatures, time is a major factor between now and the submission date.

Residents and business owners who want to plan for potential changes in consumer costs should keep an eye out for whether the petition is submitted/verified on time—and, later, for the exact ballot language.

Sources

• KAIT8 (Local news): “Paragould sales tax petition faces signature deadline” (Jul. 10, 2026)
• City of Paragould: “Taxes and Incentives” (Tax Structure section)
• Arkansas DFA: “State Sales & Use Tax Rates” (includes “State Reduced Food Tax”)

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