Thursday, May 29, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Spurred by building supplies and car sales, Nevada merchants in March reported $3 billion in sales, an increase of 6 percent from the same month a year ago.
It was the ninth straight month of higher taxable sales, but it's being compared to weak numbers in March 2002. Sales were down 0.1 percent in March 2002 in the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorism.
The state Taxation Department reported today that it collected $216.3 million from the March 2003 sales, up 6.6 percent from a year ago.
Gov. Kenny Guinn sounded a note of caution, saying the state is still analyzing the economic impact of the war in Iraq, which will be shown in next month's report.
Taxable sales in Clark County rose 5.7 percent to $2.1 billion, also an increase for the ninth consecutive month.
Statewide, the department said car sales rose 8.9 percent; building materials were up 9.9 percent; wholesale trade-durable goods rose 16.4 percent and miscellaneous retail inched up 4.5 percent.
But business in bars and restaurants was relatively flat, rising only 1.1 percent in March compared to a year ago.
The department said Clark County posted gains of 19.3 percent in wholesale trade-durable goods to $113.5 million; building material sales rose to $126.4 million, up 10 percent and general merchandise stores increased 2.1 percent to $186.5 million.
Car dealers in Clark County posted an 8.6 percent gain to $301.7 million; food stores reported $73.3 million in taxable sales, up 2.4 percent; eating and drinking businesses inched up 1.3 percent to $472.2 million; home furniture rose 5.8 percent to $120.7 million; miscellaneous retail was up 6.9 percent to $235.7 million and sales in clothing stores were off 3.7 percent to $102.6 million.
Sales in Washoe County rose 4.1 percent to $471.5 million. It was the fifth consecutive month of increases for the county.
The department said sales in Douglas County reached $52.1 million, up 12.3 percent; Elko County rose 12.5 percent to $66.2 million and Carson City was off 0.3 percent to $75.4 million.
The agency said sales of cigarettes yielded $3.5 million to the state in March, down 0.4 percent; the liquor tax collections rose 2.9 percent to $1.5 million; the business tax collected $19.6 million, up 0.4 percent and the insurance premium tax produced $43.8 million, up 11.7 percent.
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