Even with a decrease in Canadian traffic at the border North Country sales tax revenue was up this year.
This summer’s decrease in Canadian traffic headed South of the border had area leaders concerned about the effect on North Country businesses. However, Sales Tax Collections for the third quarter in Clinton County were up nearly 3% over last year according to a report from the state comptroller’s office. The data shows the county saw nearly a million dollar increase for the summer months this year over last summer. The Chairman of the Clinton Country Legislature, Mark Henry, suggested the decrease in border numbers may have come from pass through traffic not regular traffic to the area. Henry cautioned that this theory is just a guess on his part. He also believes the increase in sales tax could also be a result of hard work on the part of those who concentrated on attracting visitors from outside the area such as the Chamber of Commerce. Statewide, local sales tax collections saw an increase of 4.3% compared to the same period last year. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said A few of the factors that may explain the local sales tax growth are changes in the rate of inflation, personal consumption and employment and wages.
TAP Falling Behind
