With record-setting October, fourth quarter sales tax exceeds $135,000

    Including the best month of sales tax receipts on record, the final quarter of 2019 topped the $135,000 figure.
    October’s sales tax receipts of $51,467.27 helped lift the 2019 fourth quarter to a total of $135,676.94 in sales tax funds for use within the city of Imperial.
    Added to November’s $41,308.33 and December’s $42,901.94, the fourth quarter will go down as one of the best in sales tax receipts since the 1% sales tax was added in 2009 after voter approval.
    To compare to the fourth quarter’s $135,676.94, the 2019 first quarter brought in $95,581.85, the second quarter recorded $123,792.80 and the third quarter, $118,622,54.
    As reported earlier, last October’s unusually high receipts can be credited to the sales tax on motor vehicle purchases, which exceeded $12,800 in city receipts for just vehicles alone.
    Normally, a month of sales tax receipts from vehicle sales is between $4,000 and $6,000.
    By law, the sales tax from vehicle sales goes directly into the city’s street fund and used only in that department.
    The rest is divided 50/50 between the city’s economic development projects and community development improvements.
    Imperial adds 1% sales tax on eligible purchases. Added to the state’s 5.5%, that equals a 6.5% sales tax within the city limits.