Carson-state taxable sales finish strong

Buoyed by double-digit performances in its three largest sales tax categories, Carson City's June taxable sales finished the fiscal year 8.3 percent ahead of fiscal 2010.

June numbers alone were up 8.2 percent over the same month of last year with the biggest increase coming from motor vehicle dealers - 27.3 percent and $3 million for a total of $14.2 million in sales.

General merchandise stores also were up strongly in June - 11.8 percent to $11.57 million. Food services and drinking places were up 13.1 percent to $7.56 million for the month.

Statewide, an 8.1 percent increase in Clark County helped produce a 9 percent increase for total June sales of $3.6 billion. With that increase, the state finished the year 5.7 percent ahead of fiscal 2010 at $39.9 billion.

Carson City Finance Director Nick Providenti said that puts the city right on target with the projections used to build the city budget - just $30,000 ahead of that projection in an $18 million budget.

Only four counties reported a decrease in total sales for June. Unfortunately, the list includes both Douglas (down six tenths to $48.9 million) and Churchill (negative 11 percent to $22.7 million). In Churchill, durable goods wholesalers were down nearly $1 million from June of last year to $1.35 million. Building material sales were off $500,000 to $1.7 million, the utilities category down about $400,000 and general merchandise sales off $200,000.

But Lyon County reported a 40.4 percent increase in total sales to $37.6 million - an increase of some $10 million. The increase showed in a variety of categories including heavy construction, petroleum and coal manufacturing, electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing and wholesalers of both durable and non-durable goods.

The statewide numbers were similar to those in the capital with a 14.5 percent increase in food services and 15 percent for auto sales.

Gross revenue collections from the sales and use tax totaled $285 million in June - a 9.2 percent increase over June 2010. The state's 2 percent portion of the tax brought in $72.3 million.

That puts the General Fund portion of the tax revenues nearly 1.4 percent ahead of the Economic Forum's projections - about $10.8 million.

County Taxable Sales Change from 6/10

Statewide $3.63 billion 9%

Carson City $64.5 million 8.2%

Churchill $22.78 million -11%

Clark County $2.62 billion 8.1%

Douglas $48.3 million -0.6%

Lyon $37.6 million 40.4%

Storey $5.36 million 45.3%

Washoe $482.55 million 1.9%