Maricopa’s monthly sales tax revenue dips 3.7%

Maricopa’s sales tax collections took a seasonal dip but remain ahead of numbers reported last year at this time.

The numbers for the November report, which reflects October’s sales, were released Friday by the Arizona Department of Revenue.

Maricopa collected $781,146 in transaction privilege tax (TPT) in October compared to $742,324 a year ago. The city showed increased activity in real estate rentals and sales and in services.

Wholesale and resale trade in particular showed a month-to-month dip. Wholesale trade TPT was $22,265 in October, down from September’s $130,087, which was unusually high. Wholesale TPT totals have usually been around $20,000.

Retail trade TPT slid from $470,329 to $374,541. Retail remains the city’s biggest source of sales tax collections.

“We don’t have anything specific that would explain that,” said Brenda Hasler, the city’s new interim finance director. “We looked back at 2014 and saw a comparable drop.”

The total TPT collection was down more than $200,000 from September’s total. In 2014, the October total was a decrease of more than $100,000, part of a three-month autumn slide.

However, while Maricopa’s tax-collection numbers in August and September of this year trailed the same time last year, the October numbers are an improvement over 2014.

Meanwhile, Casa Grande totaled $1,783,930 in sales tax revenue, its highest since July.