Despite nearly a full year of economic uncertainty, Churchill County recently received a little good news. In a recent report to the Churchill County Commissioners, Comptroller Sherry Wideman shared information that County sales tax revenue for November increased 9% over the same period last year. Further, despite statewide pandemic shutdowns and businesses operating below capacity for most of 2020, there has been an overall upward sales tax trend since 2015.
In the most recent sales tax report by the Nevada Department of Taxation, as of November, Churchill County has generated $4,214,707.55 in sale tax revenues for the first part of the 2020-2021 fiscal year (July 1 through November). Not all counties are experiencing increased sales, however. Statewide, sale tax revenue is down 4.7% over 2019-2020, with Humboldt County hit the hardest, reporting a loss of 29.8%.
The food service industry has suffered a catastrophic loss in revenue across the state, with a resulting sale tax revenue decrease of 38.6% and clothing stores seeing a decrease of 24.6%. However, offsetting that loss is a substantial increase of 107.4% for specialty trade contractors, a 52% increase for non-retail stores (online), and a 19.8% rise in building/gardening equipment and supply.
Interestingly, this fiscal year’s cigarette sales tax revenue is down in Nevada by 5.7% over the previous year. Liquor sales tax at -12.7%, potentially due to bar and restaurant closures and capacity limits. However, sales tax on other tobacco products, like vape products, were up 67.7% and retail marijuana sales tax increased by 35.3%
According to Wideman, sales were up in various areas, including motor vehicle sales, building/garden equipment and suppliers, and online retail sales. The county could also be looking at an increase in December sales, “Historically, December is a higher month,” said Wideman. Although, that information will not be available until March.
Increased revenue for Churchill County couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Sales tax may be steadily moving upward, but the pandemic shutdown has negatively impacted other county revenue. “The County has been impacted in non-sales tax-related ways,” Wideman reported, “public services revenues are down due to reduced services such as at the Parks and Recreation facilities, and the Library and the Museum.”
Meet the County Comptroller: After spending nearly 14 years in the Churchill County Comptroller’s Office, CPA Sherry Wideman took on the role of County Comptroller in 2018. Before moving to the Lahontan Valley in 2007, her career was in external auditing, including her years as an external auditor for QVC in Pennsylvania.
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