CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Taxable sales in Nevada jumped 7.9 percent in March over the same month a year ago, with big gains noted in the state’s core tourism industries, the Department of Taxation reported Thursday.
Nevada merchants sold $4.4 billion in taxable goods during the month, up from $4.1 billion in March 2013.
Sales in Clark County, the state’s largest population hub and economic driver, shot up 12.1 percent to $3.3 billion. Washoe County in northern Nevada posted gains of 11.4 percent, for total sales of $555.5 million, up from $498.6 million the previous year.
Ten of Nevada’s 17 counties reported increased sales activity, on which the state collected $344.7 million in gross sales and use taxes. The exceptions were the rural counties of Churchill, Elko, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Mineral and Nye, which are prone to wide swings in month-to-month sales activity.
It’s unknown how much the recent taxation of online sales from Internet retail giant Amazon has had on Nevada’s sales tax collections. Gov. Brian Sandoval in 2011 announced an agreement with Amazon to begin collecting sales taxes in January 2014.
Online retailers primarily based outside the state aren’t required to collect and turn over state tax, while brick-and-mortar stores must do so. Amazon has distribution centers in Reno and Las Vegas and until this year did not collect taxes on Nevada sales.
Information about tax collections from specific retailers is confidential, said Sumiko Maser, deputy taxation director.
Statewide, accommodations rose 38.4 percent percent, while sales at bars and restaurants were up 9.7 percent. Both categories are key indicators of Nevada’s vital tourism sector. The biggest gains were realized in Clark County, home to Nevada’s gambling mecca, the Las Vegas Strip.
Sales at miscellaneous retail stores jumped 131 percent, and support activities for mining soared by 767 percent.
Vehicle and parts sales increased 7.8 percent, but other sectors indicative of general sales activity, such as clothing, home furnishings and general merchandise, were flat in March, the report said. On the downside, construction sales dropped 39 percent.
The 2 percent of overall gross receipts that goes to the state general fund totaled $86 million in March, an increase of 6.9 percent.
For the fiscal year that began July 1, sales and use-tax collections are 1.3 percent or $9.4 million below projections made a year ago by the Economic Forum, an independent panel of fiscal experts charged with forecasting revenues on which the state budget is based.
Nevada in March also collected $98 million in quarterly payroll taxes from businesses, representing a slight increase of 0.7 percent.
Excise taxes imposed on tobacco, liquor and live entertainment jumped 11.5 percent in March to $118.6 million, the report said.
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