Mesa County tax collections, an indicator of sales activity, continue to increase.

Mesa County reported a 7.8 percent increase in sales and use tax collections for November compared to the same month last year. Through November, year-to-date sales and use tax collections were up 9.1 percent over the same span in 2017.

The latest numbers extend what’s been an upward trend in tax collections over the past three years.

For November, Mesa County collected a total of more than
$3 million in sales and use taxes. That’s an increase of more than $220,000 over what was collected for the same month last year. November collections reflect October sales.

Sales tax collections increased 8.3 percent. Use tax collections — most of them on the sales of automobiles purchased outside the county but used inside the county — were up 4 percent.

Tax collections on retail sales increased 8.2 percent to almost $848,000 in November compared to the same month last year.

Tax collections also rose for the automotive, construction,  home improvement, hotel and restaurant and manufacturing categories.

Tax collections on purchases in the oil and natural gas category doubled on a year-over-year basis to more than $105,000.

Through the first 11 months of 2018, Mesa County collected a total of nearly $33.3 million in sales and use tax. That’s an increase of almost $2.8 million and 9.1 percent over the same span in 2017. Sales taxes collections were up 9 percent, while use tax collections rose 9.5 percent.

Year-to-date county sales tax collections on retail sales were up 6.3 percent to more than $9.4 million.

Gains also were reported for the automotive, home improvement and hotel and restaurant categories. Year-to-date sales tax collections rose 39.3 percent to nearly $725,000 in the oil and gas category.