State, local taxable sales surge in final month of ‘14

Nevada’s taxable sales surged in December, powered by both consumer and business spending.

Businesses sold $4.87 billion in tangible goods in the last month of 2014. That was a 10.2 percent increase from sales in December 2013, the state Department of Taxation reported Wednesday.

Sales in Clark County came in at $3.6 billion, up 10.9 percent from $3.25 billion in December 2013.

Countywide sales also rose more than 21 percent month to month, compared with November’s $2.97 billion.

Categories seeing big gains in Clark County included dealers of cars and car parts, which posted an 11.8 percent jump to $341.7 million, and furniture retailers, which experienced a 23.2 percent spike to $71 million.

Other home-related sectors also fared well: Sales inside electronics and appliance stores rose 14.9 percent to $142.6 million, and retailers of building materials and garden equipment and supplies posted an 11.1 percent gain to $100.1 million.

Spending inside bars and restaurants — the biggest spending category at nearly 20 percent of the total — rose 7.6 percent, to $707.5 million.

Wholesalers of big-ticket durable goods such as office equipment saw a 9.8 percent local sales increase, to $194.3 million.

Local spending in construction-related sectors remained a small share of the total, though it soared to $66 million, up 38 percent from $47.8 million a year earlier. The increase came amid ongoing construction of everything from new homes and spec warehouses in the suburbs to a 20,000-seat arena behind New York-New York and Monte Carlo on the Strip.

Construction spending advanced 16.9 percent statewide.

Gross revenue collections from sales and use taxes, which help fund prisons and schools, totaled $378.37 million in December, up 9.8 percent year over year.

The General Fund share of those revenues was $95.88 million, up 9.6 percent year over year.

But the General Fund portion of sales and use taxes was 1.42 percent, or $7.2 million, below forecasts of the Economic Forum, a nonpartisan group that projects revenue for state budgets.

Contact Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @J_Robison1.