Taxable sales in Nevada suffer big drop

Taxable sales in Nevada totaled $3.6 billion in March, a 16.5 percent drop compared with the same month a year earlier, the state Department of Taxation said today.

Sales in most major categories declined by double-digit percentages, including a 39.2 percent falloff in sales of cars and car parts, an 11.5 percent drop at general merchandise stores and a 40.8 percent decrease among furniture stores.

For the first nine months of fiscal 2009, taxable sales were down 10.2 percent.

Taxable sales in Clark County fell 14.5 percent year-over-year in March.