Taxable sales jump 6.1 percent from a year ago

CARSON CITY — Taxable sales in Nevada jumped 6.1 percent in May from the same month a year ago, with gains fed by big boosts in construction and vehicle sales, the Department of Taxation reported last week.

Merchants sold $3.9 billion in goods during the month, on which the state collected $308 million in gross sales and use taxes. The tax revenue is up 6.6 percent compared with May 2012 and 6 percent for the fiscal year.

Sales in Clark County rose 4.7 percent to $2.8 billion, up from $2.7 billion the year before. In northern Nevada’s Washoe County, sales leaped 8 percent to $501 million, up from $464 million. In all, 13 of Nevada’s 17 counties saw improved sales over May 2012, with Eureka, Lander, Lincoln and White Pine being the exceptions.

Big gains were realized by car dealers and the construction industry. Vehicle and auto part sales rose 10.9 percent, while the construction industry saw a 23.6 percent boost in activity. Furniture and home furnishing sales also posted a doubledigit increase of 10.1 percent, while sales at bars and restaurants rose 2.3 percent.

Rental and leasing services were up 19 percent, and sales of clothing and accessories rose 4.9 percent.

On the down side, accommodations, a key indicator of Nevada’s vital tourism industry, fell 18.8 percent. Sales of durable goods dropped 2 percent.

The portion of tax collections that goes to the state general fund amounted to $78 million, representing a 7.2 percent increase over May 2012, the report said.

General fund sales tax collections for the 11 months of the 2013 fiscal year are $3.7 million, or 0.4 percent above projections made that same month by the Economic Forum, an independent panel that predicts revenues on which the state budget is based.

Excise taxes, which include such things as liquor and tobacco levies, brought in about $30.2 million in May, up nearly 3 percent.