Nevada sales jumped 11.4 percent in January

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Business continued strong in January as Nevada merchants reported $2.8 billion in taxable sales, an increase of 11.4 percent from the same month of the prior year.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said he was pleased with the figures and added, "Nevada continues to show positive economic growth and stability."

Some of the top performers were clothing stores, bars and restaurants and auto sales statewide, the state Taxation Department reported today.

The monthly report shows Clark County businesses produced $2.1 billion in taxable sales, a 12.7 percent gain compared to a year ago. This is the fifth time in the last seven months that taxable sales in Clark County showed double digit increases.

Guinn said "Collections resulting from new taxes passed in the last Legislative session are meeting or exceeding projections except for the live entertainment tax and cigarette excise tax.

"These two sources of revenue will need to be closely monitored. Hopefully, these two lagging areas will be offset by continued increases from the sales tax, modified business tax and real property transfer tax."

The taxation department reported the state collected $60.9 million from its share of the sales tax, a 17.6 percent gain. So far this fiscal year, the sales tax has produced an 11.3 percent gain. The prediction was that collections for the sales tax would reach 5.9 percent for this fiscal year.

The taxation department said that sales statewide of wholesale durable goods jumped 22.2 percent in January; building materials were up 14.1 percent; general merchandise stores recorded a 13.3 percent gain in business; auto dealers registered a 14.7 percent increase; clothing stores registered a 20.2 percent gain in sales; home furniture was up 8.3 percent and eating and drinking places increased by 13.9 percent.

Bars and restaurants in Clark County reported $500.9 million in taxable sales, up 15.4 percent; car sales registered $310.8 million, up 16.1 percent; wholesale durable good registered $125.7 million in taxable sales, an increase of 26.3 percent; building materials rose 17.8 percent to $132.5 million and general merchandise stores were up 13 percent to $162.4 million in taxable sales.

The department said clothing stores reported $101.9 million in taxable sales in Clark County, a 20 percent increase, and home furniture business rose 9.3 percent to $136.7 million in taxable sales. The department said this was the ninth straight month that sales of building materials have produced double digit increases in Clark County. Auto sales in Southern Nevada in eight of the last ten months have also shown double digit increases. And the 15.4 percent increase in business in bars and restaurants is the largest percentage gain in at least the last two years.

The taxation department reported Washoe County merchants had $437.2 million in taxable sales up 8.4 percent; Douglas County had $52.3 million, up 9.2 percent and Carson City had $65.9 million, a gain of 4.3 percent.