Tax collections remain ahead of 2010 pace

Sales and use tax collections, a key indicator of retail activity, remain well ahead of last year in Mesa County, according to the latest government reports.

The City of Grand Junction reported collecting a total of more than $4.4 million in sales and use taxes in September, an increase of nearly 5.4 percent over the same month last year.

Meanwhile, Mesa County reported collecting a total of more than $2.4 million in sales taxes for its capital improvement and general funds, up nearly 9.8 percent from September 2010.

Mesa County collected an additional $915,515 in sales taxes it distributed to cities and towns in the county, including Grand Junction. That number is similarly up 9.8 percent from last year.

Since tax reports lag a month behind, September reports reflect August sales.

For reports covering the first nine months of 2011, the City of Grand Junction collected a total of nearly $36.5 million, an increase of almost 9 percent from the same span in 2010.

Mesa County collected a total of more than $19.5 million in sales taxes for its capital improvement and general funds during the first nine months of 2011. That total comes in almost 9 percent ahead of the same span in 2010.

Mesa County collected an additional $7.4 million in sales taxes it distributed to cities and towns in the county, also about 9 percent ahead of last year.

The city assesses a 2.75 percent sales tax, with 0.75 percent allocated to capital construction projects.

Mesa County assesses a 2 percent sales tax. Of that, 1 percent goes into a capital fund used to pay for the construction of buildings, roads, bridges and other large projects. Of the remaining 1 percent, 0.45 percent goes into a county general fund used for operational expenses and 0.55 goes back to cities and towns in the county. Sales tax collections account for about 19 percent of county revenue.