City Of Tulsa Sales Tax Revenues Down For 13th Month

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Sales tax collections for the City of Tulsa have declined for the 13th consecutive month, according to a report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

According to the preliminary report, sales tax collections from mid-February to mid-March totaled $15,482,277, a 5.6 percent decline from the same month last year.

For the fiscal year to date, the City has collected $162,279,390 in sales taxes, down 10.6 percent from the previous year's collections through April of $181,529,816, and .40 percent above the revised budget estimate for fiscal year to date.

Use tax collections fiscal year to date through April total $13,252,513, down 13.91 percent from the previous year. For the month of April use taxes totaled $1,106,333, a 9.61 percent drop from April, 2009.

Combined, revenues from sales and use taxes are $100,000 above the revised general fund budget estimate.

"Our projections continue to stay on the mark," said Mayor Dewey Bartlett. "The actual decline in sales taxes for the month of April are in line with the decline we saw in April a year ago, which is when we posted our first of 13 consecutive months of lower sales tax collections. While we would like to begin seeing upward movement we are encouraged by the slowing pace of decline.

"We expect to present a nearly flat budget this year, and we will be focused on revenue generation in the coming year so we can begin to restore core services that have been impacted by this national economic recession," he said.

The mayor's budget presentation to the City Council is currently planned for April 29.

Use taxes, which businesses and others pay on purchases of equipment from out-of-state vendors, were below budget estimates for the month of April. The total was $1,106,333, down 9.6 percent from the same period last year and 13.4 percent below budget estimates.