August taxable sales slump in Carson, Douglas

With its two top tax categories either flat or down, August taxable sales fell 5.6 percent in Carson City.

Auto sales, normally the capital’s top generator of taxable sales, came in at a respectable $19.8 million for the month. But that was up just 0.6 percent from a strong August 2012.

Sales by general merchandise stores, which usually are just a bit less than auto sales, were off 10.6 percent to just over $12 million.

Other key categories were mixed, with building material sales down nearly 16 percent to $5.5 million while Food Services and Drinking Places bumped up 3.5 percent to $7.4 million for the month.

The overall result was a drop of just under $4 million, to $65.8 million in total sales for August.

Douglas County suffered a similar fate in August, reporting a 5.5 percent decrease to $51.9 million. There, general merchandise stores reported an 18 percent increase to $8.3 million, and auto sales were up 5.3 percent to $2.1 million. But wholesales of durable goods fell more than 19 percent to $2.5 million, and building material sales dropped 17.6 percent to $4.5 million.

Statewide, total sales were up 3.7 percent to $3.8 billion. Unlike in Carson City, auto sales were up 10.1 percent and construction categories more than 20 percent.

Led by a doubling of sales reported by utilities, Churchill County reported an overall 10.9 percent increase to $50.6 million. The county had nearly $4.3 million reported in that category.

Merchant wholesales of durable goods increased 62 percent to $1.7 million, and electrical equipment manufacturing nearly 9 percent to $25.9 million. But auto sales were down 24.5 percent in Churchill, to $2.38 million, offsetting some of those gains.

In Storey County, building material sales jumped 138 percent to more than $235,000, and food services and drinking places increased 44 percent to $819,784.

Lyon County reported $29.8 million in sales, just about the same as the county had a year ago. But the 2012 number was skewed sharply down by a correction that retroactively cut more than $23 million from what was reported a year ago, leaving just $6.4 million. Taxation officials said the change doesn’t actually reflect lost dollars, that it’s just on paper because the amount is abated green-energy credits.

Washoe County had a solid month with a 6.6 percent increase to $552 million. Clark County reported taxable sales of $2.69 million, a 3.6 percent gain. Washoe’s was driven largely by a 17 percent increase in auto sales to more than $83.5 million.