Sales tax rebates still in slump

By Anita Miller

San Marcos — San Marcos’ merchants sold around eight percent less merchandise in September than a year prior, sales tax allocations released on Friday by State Comptroller Susan Combs indicate.

The city’s allocation this month, $1,434,608.30, is 7.97 percent smaller than the $1,558,957.54 San Marcos received in November 2008. The figure is down for the fifth month in a row. November allocations reflect sales made in September.

Also down is the city’s year-to-date total. For the first 11 months of 2009, Comb’s office allocated San Marcos $16,576,829.04 in sales tax rebates, some 3.02 percent less than the $17,094,660.41 allocated during the first 11 months of 2008.

It was the same through much of the state, and Combs has predicted the slump would continue through at least the end of the calendar year.

Noting that the state collected 12.8 percent less sales tax revenue in October than a year ago, Combs said, “Declining sales tax collections, which began in February, have continued with October’s collections. Tax collections are down in major sectors of the economy, including retail trade, oil and natural gas and construction.”

Statewide, she said, November allocations to cities are down 8.3 percent compared to last year and down 4.2 percent in terms of year-to-date.

Elsewhere in Hays County:

• Buda: Monthly allocation $248,941.74, down 13.71 from the $288,515.77 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $2,983.131.59, up .72 percent from $2,961,714.29 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Dripping Springs: Monthly allocation $67,318.84, down 2.41 percent from the $68,984.11 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $672,905.21, up 1.54 percent from $622,651.83 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Hays City: Monthly allocation $3,394.24, up 58.81 percent from the $2,130.88 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $15,014.70, down 9.25 percent from $16,545.99 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Kyle: Monthly allocation $287.557.37, down 1.97 percent from the $293,361.95 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $2,435,001.65, up 16.35 percent from $2,092,679.01 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Mountain City: Monthly allocation $413.21, up 16.96 percent from the $353.29 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $4,059.05, up 5.47 percent from $3,848.27 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Niederwald: Monthly allocation of $1,763.03, down 11.26 percent from the $1,986.76 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $20,522.72, up 1.11 percent from $20,296.66 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Uhland: Monthly rebate $4,354.61, up 30.45 percent from the $3,337.99 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $41,793.13, up 43.61 percent from $29,099.95 received in first 11 months of 2008. (Uhland has increased its tax rate from one to 1.5 percent.)

• Wimberley: Monthly allocation $65,453.05, up 35.38 percent from the $48,344.31 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $550,493.16, up 7.10 percent from $513,983.72 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Woodcreek: Monthly allocation $2,688.99, down 17.14 percent from $3,245.47 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $31,460.51, down 18.12 percent from $38,423.19 received in first 11 months of 2008.

Elsewhere in Central Texas:

• Lockhart: Monthly allocation $153,321.30, up 3.35 percent from $147,374.18 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total $1,473,463.16, up 3.23 percent from $1,427,282.26 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Luling: Monthly allocation $88,039.24, down 6.20 percent from $93,860.52 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $880,969.01, down 6.69 percent from $944,134.40 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Martindale: Monthly allocation $2,494.17, up 29.35 percent from $1,928.14 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $23,020.39, down 3.13 percent from $23,764.64 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• New Braunfels: Monthly allocation $1,476,331.34, down 4.91 percent from $1,552,716.59 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $16,065,720.46, down 2.10 percent from $16,411,310.10 received in first 11 months of 2008.

• Seguin: Monthly allocation $416,995.95, down 3.14 percent from $430,550.53 allocated in November 2008; year-to-date total is $4,515,530.48, down 3.34 percent from $4,671,914.61 received in first 11 months of 2008.