Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said the state collected $1.66 billion in sales tax revenue in January, down 14.2 percent compared to January 2009. “Collections continue to be down in major industry sectors like retail trade, oil and natural gas production, construction and manufacturing,” Combs said. “January’s sales tax revenue was down by double digits compared to January 2009, which was the third highest collection month ever and was also the last month of year-over-year growth. We will continue to closely monitor sales tax revenue, and although we expect further collection declines in the near term, it is anticipated the rate of decline will moderate and then return to revenue growth sometime in the second quarter of 2010.”
Combs sent $618.2 million in local sales tax to Texas cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts, down 7.1 percent compared to sales tax distributions to local governments in February 2009.
January state sales tax collections and February’s local sales tax allocations represent sales made in December, and also include earlier sales by businesses that report sales tax to the Comptroller on a quarterly or annual basis.
The Comptroller sent $417.7 million in sales tax to Texas cities, down 6.2 percent compared to February 2009 payments. Texas counties received February sales tax payments of $35.1 million, down 15.1 percent compared to last February.
The 163 special purpose taxing districts around the state received $24.6 million in sales tax, down 7.8 percent compared to February 2009. Ten local transit systems received $140.6 million in February sales tax payments, down 7.5 percent compared to a year ago.
For details of February sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary Reports on the Comptroller’s Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html