Vehicle buys lift sales tax to new record

    There’s a new monthly record for Imperial city sales tax receipts, and it was by a large margin.
    For July 2022, the city received a total of $54,047.91 from the Nebraska Dept. of Revenue, its receipts from the 1% city tax now in its 15th year.
    That eclipsed the previous monthly record for Imperial set in August 2021 when the receipts totaled $51,660.08.
    A big part of July’s receipts came from the sales tax on motor vehicle sales, noted Tyler Pribbeno, the city’s Community Development Director.
    That amounted to $12,207.58, the second highest tax from vehicle sales on record, and he believes that’s the main contributor to July’s record-setting month.
    October 2019 holds the record for the most sales tax from vehicle sales—$12,869.
    Even without the vehicle sales tax included, the rest of the sales tax income in July is the ninth best ever, he said.
    Pribbeno is anxious to see what the sales tax does in August, when Imperial hosts the Chase County Fair and back-to-school purchases ramp up.
    “Hopefully, August will be even bigger,” he said, noting the record-setting Scotty McCreery concert  on Saturday night.
    “That (concert) usually reflects on the number of people here,” he said.
    Pribbeno said Imperial can be proud of how it supports local business.
    “We are blessed to have such a busy main street and Miracle Mile,” he said.
    While some have had to cut back hours due to labor shortages, Pribbeno said Imperial businesses have not closed any doors since COVID hit in 2020.
    “People here do their best to support our businesses and stay local,” he said.
    While that business support is a key factor, the large July increase may also be due, in part, he said, to residents choosing not to shop out of town due to the high gas prices that were peaking this summer.
    When the city receives its monthly receipts, the sales tax on vehicles is separated and placed in the street department.
    The rest is split 50/50 between the economic development and community development funds. The Imperial city council has final say for earmarking funds from both accounts.
    The city’s 1% sales tax is added to the state’s 5.5% for a total of 6.5% on eligible purchases.
    This year, Imperial is observing its 15th year since the city sales tax started in April 2007.