HARLINGEN — State sales tax revenues for the city of Harlingen showed a strong increase in April compared to the same month in 2015.
Harlingen’s sales tax revenues this month are 9.5 percent higher than last year’s, indicating a strong retail start to 2016. It marked the ninth time in the past 12 months the city has shown growth in sales tax receipts.
Sales tax revenues released by the Texas comptroller’s office in April reflect spending for the month of February.
“As our workforce increases and jobs are created, we are seeing a continued improvement in retail sales,” said Raudel Garza, chief executive officer at the Harlingen Economic Development Corp. “We are growing at a rate that we pretty much expected for this year.”
Since the beginning of the fiscal year, Harlingen has shown an increase of more than $288,000 over last year’s year-to-date sales tax receipts, a rise of 2.64 percent.
Michael Lamon, president of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors said, “Harlingen will once again achieve retail sales of more than $1 billion in the city. Only McAllen and Brownsville top that number.”
Elsewhere, Raymondville saw its sales tax revenue take a 4.37 percent decline year-over-year, from $108,000 to $104,000 this year, as the impact of the Walmart closure begins to be reflected in tax numbers.
Rio Hondo saw its sales tax revenues for the month increase 55.69 percent.
Other significant increases for the month occurred in Los Fresnos, with a gain of 38.69 percent, Primera at 24.55 percent and Combes at 14.75 percent.
But it was Santa Rosa which topped the list with a year-over-year increase of 131.32 percent.
