Sales tax collections continue downturn

 

August 28, 2016

Sales tax collections in Alva continue lower than in the last couple of years, causing city leaders to watch the budget carefully. However, Alva has fared better than many northwest Oklahoma communities with no layoffs of employees required. Oklahoma cities and towns do not receive revenue from property taxes so sales tax collections provide a large portion of budget revenues.

This month, Alva received $316,677.57 in sales tax collections, down from the $422,401.31 of a year ago. That's a drop of $150,723.74 or almost 25 percent.

Alva also collects use taxes on items bought outside the city limits but intended for use in Alva. That amounted to $9,254.79 this month, down from $12,478.67 last year.

Freedom in western Woods County dropped from $9,629.70 in sales tax for August 2015 to only $1,543.74 this month, a 16 percent decrease. Freedom does not collect use tax.

Waynoka in the southern part of the county was down about $11,000, collecting $31,300.20 this month compared to $42,254.84 in August 2015, a 26 percent drop. Use tax for August was $1,811.21 compared to $6,700.63 a year ago.

Woods County received a little less than half of what was collected this time last year. August 2016 sales tax collections were $84,439.81 compared to $183,315.37 a year ago. Use taxes collected by the county were down about two-thirds with $9,550.18 for this month and $28,760.15 a year ago.

Just to the east of Alva in Alfalfa County, Cherokee received $54,243.21 in August sales tax collections, down from $78,699.07 a year ago. That's a decrease of 31 percent. Use tax collections were nearly the same as a year ago with $3,490.99 this month and $3,638.68 a year ago.

Alfalfa County was down 57 percent with $170,662.15 in August sales tax collections compared to $396,927.60 last year. In use tax, Alfalfa County received $22,644.77 this month and $43,956.01 a year ago.

The monies reported by the state in August represent sales from June 16-20 and estimated sales from July 1-15. The state disbursed $138,657,727 in sales tax collections to 514 cities and towns, reflecting a decrease of $3,049,370 from August a year ago.

No sales tax changes are scheduled for September, but nine communities are increasing their sales tax rates in October while one is decreasing the rate. Among those planning increases are Blackwell going up one percent to a five percent sales tax and Mooreland going to a four percent tax, also a one percent increase. Webbers Falls is going up two percent to a 5.5 sales tax. Sayre is the only city planning a decrease in October, dropping from five percent down to four percent.

 

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