BY ANDY SEVILLA
Though Buda took in the smallest chunk of sales tax dollars for August, compared to the other Hays County corridor cities, the burgeoning town led all in percentage growth from the same reporting period last year.
Buda collected $346,452.61 in sales tax allocations this month, a 15.81 percent rise from the $299,155.12 it received in August 2012, according to Texas Comptroller records.
Thus far, this year, Buda received about $2.7 million in sales tax allocation, a 16.78 percent jump from the $2.3 million it received during the same period last year.
Kyle edged out San Marcos in percentage growth for sales tax allocations each city received this month compared to August of last year.
The comptroller’s office returned $418,722.78 in sales tax collections to Kyle this month, which marks a 10.95 percent jump from the city’s August 2012 figure – $377,378.43. Kyle received about $2.73 million in sales tax collections this year, signifying a 13.07 percent increase from the $2.4 million it received from January to August in 2012.
Hays County’s largest city, San Marcos, collected $1,948,473.47 in sales tax allocations this month, a 10.69 percent jump from its August 2012 figure of $1,760,258.73.
In 2013 payments to date, San Marcos received $15.4 million in sales tax collections, a 9.48 percent rise from the $14.1 million it received through August last year.
August sales tax collections represent monthly sales made in June for businesses that report tax every month, but this month’s figures also include April, May and June sales by businesses that report tax quarterly.
Hays County collected $1,155,560 in sales tax revenues this month, an 8.23 percent increase from the $1,067,631.23 it collected in August 2012. Thus far this year, the county has received $8.7 million in sales tax collections, an 11.44 percent rise from the $7.8 million it had received from January through August last year.
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said that Texas has experienced increased sales tax revenues for 40 consecutive months, with the retail sector bolstering the latest growth in monthly revenue. She also said, in a statement, that collections from construction and the oil and natural gas sectors showed continued strength.
August local sales tax allocations totaled $671 million statewide, up 6.2 percent compared to August 2012.
