BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Sales tax collections in Livingston Parish were higher than those of any previous April on record.

The director of the sales tax program says the April collections were also the second-highest for any month in the history of the parish.

Mike Curtis, who heads that program, tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/KTchN2 ) only Christmas sales in 2008 were higher than the latest month's figures.

April's total sales tax collections by governmental agencies were $6.75 million, which is 8 percent higher than the $6.22 million in April 2011.

Curtis says the April collections indicate a continuing robust economy for the parish.

Curtis says he expects May collections will be even higher as a result of new business openings, particularly the new Wal-Mart in Watson.

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