Blytheville, AR Sales Tax Rate: 10.5%, 4% on Groceries

The Blytheville, AR sales tax rate is 10.5% on most retail purchases. That total combines three layers: 6.5% to the state of Arkansas, 2.5% to Mississippi County, and 1.5% to the city of Blytheville.¹² On a $500 purchase, the tax comes to $52.50.

Groceries Are Taxed at 4%

Arkansas eliminated its state sales tax on groceries starting January 1, 2026. Qualifying food and food ingredients now carry a 0% state rate under the Arkansas Grocery Tax Relief Act, down from the previous reduced rate of 1.375%.¹

Local tax didn’t change. The 2.5% county and 1.5% city taxes still apply, so unprepared groceries in Blytheville are taxed at a combined 4.0%.³

What Doesn’t Count as Groceries

Several things you’d buy at a grocery store are taxed at the full 10.5% rate instead of the reduced grocery rate.

Candy is one. Arkansas defines candy as a sweetened preparation made with chocolate, fruit, nuts, or flavorings and sold as bars, drops, or pieces. There are two useful exceptions: if the product contains flour, it’s regular food and taxed at the grocery rate, and anything that requires refrigeration also falls outside the candy definition.³

Soft drinks are the other category. Any nonalcoholic sweetened beverage counts, except those containing milk products or those made of more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice.³

Prepared food gets the full rate too. If the seller heats the item, combines ingredients, or hands you utensils with it, it’s prepared food. Deli sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, and sit-down restaurant meals all qualify.⁴

Local Tax Caps at $2,500 Per Transaction

If you’re making a large purchase, the local portion of the tax doesn’t apply to the whole price. Blytheville’s 4.0% local tax (county plus city) stops at the first $2,500 of a single transaction. Anything above that threshold is still subject to the 6.5% state tax, but the local portion is capped.⁵

On a $10,000 purchase, the local tax should run $100 (4% of $2,500), not $400. If the seller charges local tax on the full amount anyway, you can claim the overcharge back from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration using Form ET-179A. You’ll need legible copies of every invoice showing the date, the seller, what was purchased, and the local tax paid. The claim has to be submitted within one year of the purchase date or the date you paid the tax, whichever is later.⁵

Buying from Out of State

Ordering from a seller that doesn’t collect Arkansas tax doesn’t make the purchase tax-free. Arkansas charges a compensating use tax on items bought elsewhere but stored, used, or consumed in the state, and the rate matches the combined sales tax rate where you live.⁶ For Blytheville, that’s 10.5%.

You report consumer use tax either through a form in the state income tax booklet or on the Individual Consumer Use Tax Form on the Department of Finance and Administration’s website. If you already paid sales tax to another state on the same item, Arkansas credits that amount, so you pay only the difference.⁷

Prescription Drugs Are Exempt

Prescription medications for human use carry no sales tax in Arkansas when dispensed by a licensed pharmacist, hospital, or physician. The exemption only covers drugs that legally require a prescription. Over-the-counter medicine is still taxable even if a doctor recommends or writes a prescription for it. Oxygen prescribed by a licensed physician for human use is also exempt.⁸

1
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. State Sales and Use Tax Rates
2
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. List of Cities and Counties with Local Sales and Use Tax April – June 2026
3
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Candy, Soft Drinks, and Digital Products
4
Code of Arkansas Rules. 26 CAR 31-103 – Prepared Food
5
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Claim for Additional Local Tax Eligible for Rebate
6
Justia. Arkansas Code 26-53-106 – Imposition and Rate of Tax
7
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Consumer Use Tax
8
Code of Arkansas Rules. 26 CAR 30-1113 – Exemptions from Tax – Prescription Drugs