Carson City taxable sales jump double-digits in April

Thanks to a huge jump in sales of building materials, Carson City reported a 13.6 percent increase in taxable sales in April.

Capital merchants sold $10.77 million worth of building materials, a 49.3 percent increase over the same month of 2014.

Related categories such as furniture and home furnishings also were up substantially — by 35.6 percent to just more than $1 million in that case.

Auto sales, the area’s largest sales tax generator, was up 4.9 percent to $20.5 million but General Merchandise Stores, the second biggest, was down 2 percent to $10.9 million.

Food Services and Drinking Places, normally fattened up in odd numbered years by the Legislature, were up but only by 2.6 percent to $7.67 million.

Statewide, total taxable sales were up 5.5 percent to $4.12 billion. Clark County led the way, posting $3.1 million of that total, a 6.8 percent gain from a year earlier. Washoe County followed with a 4 percent increase to $522.9 million.

In Western Nevada, Lyon County posted a 111 percent increase to $58.28 million for the month. The biggest increase was in the Electronics and Appliances category, which went from just $215,304 a year ago to $30.5 million this past April. Since specifics of business sales are confidential, no details were available to explain that increase.

Churchill County sales dropped 41 percent to just more than $14 million. The culprit appears to be in the furniture and Home Furnishings category that reported a $7.75 million negative credit. In addition, Food Services and Drinking Places in Churchill dipped 53 percent to just $2.76 million.

Part of that was offset by an 82 percent increase in auto sales to $4.68 million.

There also were double-digit decreases in several mining counties. Esmeralda went down 60.7 percent to just $851,439, Eureka 27.8 percent to $19.78 million and Humboldt 26.9 percent to $40.4 million.

Statewide, auto sales were up 10.4 percent and the furniture category 10.3 percent.

Revenue collections for May were up a half percent or $4.3 million over the amount forecast by the Economic Forum.