December taxable sales surge to $2.9 billion in Clark County

By Cy Ryan

Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 | 5:02 p.m.

CARSON CITY — Strong performances in the car and clothing businesses during the Christmas season helped propel taxable sales in Clark County to a 9.5 percent gain in December over the same month a year ago.

The state Department of Taxation reported Monday that taxable sales reached $2.9 billion in Clark County.

For the first six months of the fiscal year, the increase is 7.4 percent, showing a continuing rebound.

The department said statewide taxable sales rose 3.8 percent to $4.2 billion for December. It said the state’s portion of the sales and use tax collected in December was $82.4 million or 2 percent higher than December 2010.

Car sales in Clark County for the month jumped 17.1 percent compared to December 2010. There’s been an increase in the auto business every month since August 2010, when sales dropped 6.6 percent.

The department said the clothing business rose 12.3 percent for the month compared to December 2010. It’s the 12th consecutive double-digit increase in apparel sales.

The sale of building material and garden supplies in Clark County posted its best increase in more than two years — up 10.5 percent.

Business in bars and restaurants in Clark County registered an 8.4 percent gain, the 10th consecutive month of increases.

The furniture business increased 1.4 percent, and general merchandise business fell 2.9 percent after six straight months of increases.

The department reported taxable sales, one sign of the economy, rose by 6.1 percent in Washoe County and was up 5.5 percent in Carson City.

But there were soft spots. too. Taxable sales in Elko County in December nose dived 51.8 percent; Humboldt County was off 29.9 percent and Storey County fell 27.2 percent.

The department said collections from the excise tax reached $102.2 million for December. Tax collections from cigarette sales for the first six months inched up 0.3 percent higher than the economic forum predicted.

Collections from the liquor tax were 3.3 percent, or $1.3 million above the estimate of the Economic Forum, for the first six months of the fiscal year.