Sales tax collections are up in Amarillo.
On Thursday, the City of Amarillo announced that sales tax collections are up about 2 percent over where they were in May of 2017. The 4.5 percent increase for May and the 1.97 percent overall increase translates into about $737,000 in new collections to be put toward municipal services, City of Amarillo officials say. Some of the services which will see benefits from the increased collections include: Police, Fire, Streets, Parks & Recreation, Library, Public Health, Animal Management & Welfare, and Building Safety.
In a statement, Councilmember Elaine Hays, who served as the spokesperson for the City of Amarillo's "Buy the Way" campaign at the time of its 2017 launch, says that the increase shows positive movement by the campaign to increase sales tax collections and local shopping.
“Retail sales are a large part of being able to provide essential community services and funding for quality of life programs and I am thrilled to see a reverse in our previous downward trend,” Hays said. “Our Buy the Way, Keep It Local campaign and other community efforts are making a difference and we all need to do our part to keep Amarillo moving forward.”
For more information, please visit amarillo.gov.
