State sales tax revenue totaled $3.15 billion in September, a 22.3 percent increase over a year ago, the state Comptroller’s Office reports.
The taxes mostly came on sales made in August and remitted in September.
“September state sales tax collections rebounded sharply above last year’s pandemic-depressed level while strongly surpassing pre-pandemic levels as well,” Comptroller Glenn Hegar said. “Tax receipts from all major economic sectors were up by double-digit percentages from a year ago, indicating vigorous spending by both businesses and consumers.”
Hegar said despite shortages of key manufacturing components like building materials, chemicals, semiconductors and more, as well as weather and pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, sales tax collected from construction, manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors rose sharply.
“Collections from the oil- and gas-mining sector almost doubled from a year ago, as drilling activity continued to rise while still remaining substantially below pre-pandemic levels,” Hegar said.
“Within the retail trade sector, rapid growth continued in receipts from big-box retailers, which grew strongly during last year’s shutdown period, while receipts from mall-based department stores grew moderately,” he added.
The fastest growth, Hegar said, was found in receipts from clothing stores and electronics and appliance stores, which continues a trend observed over the past several months.
Receipts from online general merchandisers continued to grow moderately from last year’s elevated levels, he said.
By key sectors, sales tax revenues in September totaled:
>> Motor vehicle sales and rental taxes — $547 million, up 21 percent from September 2020, and up 26 percent from September 2019;
>> Motor fuel taxes — $321 million, up 9 percent from September 2020, and down 1 percent from September 2019;
>> Oil production tax — $392 million, up 72 percent from September 2020, and up 17 percent from September 2019;
>> Natural gas production tax — $252 million, the highest monthly amount since October 2008, up 255 percent from September 2020, and up 155 percent from September 2019;
>> Hotel occupancy tax — $51 million, up 50 percent from September 2020, and down 5 percent from September 2019;
>> Alcoholic beverage taxes — $122 million, up 56 percent from September 2020, and up 4 percent from September 2019.
