Despite overall decrease, some area saw a gain.

 

 

[view:node_ad=5]The City’s sales tax numbers are in for the final quarter of 2007, reflecting the holiday season (October through December, 2007).  The City’s sales tax numbers for the fourth quarter show an overall decrease of -0.6% in sales tax revenue over the same quarter in 2006.  During this period, the County saw an overall decrease of -2.2% and the State saw a decrease of -2.6% for the fourth quarter of 2007.     

           

There were some gains however, in Santa Clarita, including the categories for specialty stores, service stations, grocery liquor sales, and plumbing/electrical supplies.  Specialty stores posted an impressive 21% increase in the fourth quarter of 2007 over the same quarter in 2006.  As expected, service stations also rose substantially, posting a 24% increase for the fourth quarter of 2007 over one year ago.

           

Reflecting a slowdown in the construction industry, there was a -5.3% decrease in construction-related sales which includes wholesale and retail building materials.  Some of this reflects seasonal trends, and some is due to the downturn in the construction of new homes and remodeling activities nationwide.

           

The fourth quarter of 2007 revealed an increase of 14.1 % for plumbing and electrical supplies and a 6.2% increase in heavy industrial supplies.  The fourth quarter also saw an increase of 11.4% in grocery store liquor sales.   Numbers also show declines for new auto sales (-6.3%); contractors (-26.1%); lumber/building materials (-34%); health/medical (-9%); and family apparel (-3.5%).

           

“This is a difficult time for many business sectors, for government and for the economy.  It is more important than ever to shop within the City of Santa Clarita and support our local businesses.  I encourage residents and businesses to check out www.shopcityofsantaclarita.com to learn more about where they can shop local,” commented Darren Hernandez, Treasurer for the City of Santa Clarita.