Taxable sales up in Carson, statewide

Driven by a nearly 16 percent increase in auto sales, Carson City’s taxable sales were up 5 percent for July.City Finance Director Nick Providenti said there was nothing unusual about the numbers overall and the 5 percent increase to $63.9 million keeps revenues pretty much on track with projections used to build the capital city’s budget.Statewide, the Nevada Department of Taxation on Thursday reported total taxable sales of $3.55 billion for the month — the 25th consecutive month of gains. That is 4.7 percent more than July 2011. Like Carson City, the largest statewide increase in a major category was auto sales — up 14.2 percent statewide.Statewide, the only major categories to record decreases for the month were construction, down 5.9 percent, and bars and restaurants, down 0.6 percent. Food and beverage stores, however, recorded a 7.3 percent increase for the month.Accommodations, a key barometer of Nevada’s vital tourism industry, rose 109 percent over July 2011, the report said.In Carson City, the second largest sales tax generator, general merchandise stores, also did well. The $11.3 million in sales in that category represents a 45.6 percent increase.Churchill County saw a 21.4 percent increase in motor vehicle sales to $2.98 million. But that was partially offset by a 5.6 percent decrease in general merchandise sales and a 6 percent drop in food services and drinking places. Overall, the county was up 6 percent over the previous July to $22.3 million.Douglas County was up but by just a half percent with $52.7 million in total sales. The largest category there is food services and drinking places, the casinos primarily at Lake Tahoe, which was up 5.5 percent to $14.6 million.In western Nevada, Lyon County suffered the worst news — a 12.8 percent drop to $25.6 million. The biggest change was a decrease of more than 80 percent in the specialty trade contractors category from $2.2 million a year ago to just $382,447 this July. That erased gains in other categories such as auto sales.Washoe County reported a 5.6 percent gain for the month, to $489.5 million, and Clark County had a 5.4 percent increase to $2.54 billion.Gross revenue collections totaled $277.7 million, a 4.35 percent increase over a year ago.The general fund portion of tax collections came to $70.3 million — a 4 percent increase. For the first month of the new fiscal year, that puts the general fund 3 percent, or $2 million, ahead of projections used to build the state budget in May 2011.CountyTaxable SalesChange from July 2011Statewide$3.55 billion4.7%Carson City$63.96 million5%Churchill$22.35 million6%Clark County$2.54 billion5.4%Douglas$52.7 million0.5%Lyon$25.65 million-12.8%Storey$5.57 million-7.1%Washoe$489.5 million5.6%