June sales, taxes decline region-wide

DENVER – With the single exception of food services in Larimer County, Northern Colorado’s June retail sales — and the taxes collected on them — dropped compared to the same period last year, according to figures released Thursday by the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Total Larimer County sales of $612 million in June brought in net sales taxes of $8.9 million. That reflected a 13 percent decrease in sales and a 7 percent decrease in taxes from June 2008.

Weld County’s total June sales of $473 million generated nearly $5.2 million in sales taxes, for a decrease of 8 percent in sales and 19 percent in taxes from June 2008.

One of the biggest declines in Weld County came in the mining sector, where sales were approximately one-quarter of what they were last year. In June 2009, $5.8 million in sales generated $67,000 in sales taxes; in June 2008, mining sales totaled $21.7 million and generated $309,000 in sales taxes.

In Larimer County, the transportation and warehouse sector took one of the biggest hits year-over-year, with net sales taxes cut in half. In June, $605,000 in sales generated $4,000 in sales taxes; in the same month in 2008, $1.7 million in sales generated $8,000 in taxes.

The one sector that saw an increase in both total retail sales and net sales taxes from last year’s figures was food and beverage services in Larimer County. In June, county dining establishments saw a total of $44 million in sales, which resulted in $1.16 million in net sales taxes. That was 2 percent more sales and 8 percent more sales taxes than in June 2008. Weld County’s food and beverage activity declined less than 1 percent for both sales and taxes over last June.

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