Texas Insider

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said today the state collected $1.60 billion in sales tax revenue in February, down 8.8 percent compared to February 2009.

“After eight straight months of double digit declines, sales tax losses have begun to moderate,” Combs said. “Sales tax revenue continues to be down in major sectors such as retail, oil and gas production and construction. 

 ”However, there was a slight uptick in the manufacturing sector.  We will keep monitoring the revenue, and as we have recently noted we expect further declines in the near term before a return to sales tax revenue growth later this year.”

On Friday, Combs will deliver $404.4 million in March sales tax payments to Texas cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts.  Local sales tax allocations are down 6.7 percent compared to March 2009. So far this calendar year, local sales tax allocations are down 8.4 percent compared to the first three months of 2009.

State sales tax revenue for February and March payments made to local governments represent sales that occurred in January.

Combs will send March sales tax payments of $271.3 million to Texas cities, down 6.8 percent compared to March 2009.  Texas counties will receive sales tax payments of $24.4 million, down 11.2 percent compared to one year ago.

The 166 special purpose taxing districts around the state will get $15.8 million in sales tax revenue, down 8.4 percent compared to last March.  Ten local transit systems will receive $92.7 million, down 4.7 percent. 

For details of March sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales and Use Tax Allocation Comparison Summary Reports on the Comptroller’s Web site at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html.