WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Taxable Retail Sales

Taxable Retail Sales Decline
Taxable Retail Sales Decline

Cindi Holmstrom, the Director of the Department of Revenue, sent me this chart and the associated comments last week. It’s a sobering indicator of economic conditions.

Taxable retail sales provide a strong indication of the economic conditions in the state of Washington. The chart below illustrates the decline in retail sales tax collection over the past 3 years. Also included for the same period are auto sales and construction activity which make up a significant portion of our taxable revenue base in Washington.

All three categories are showing a year over year decline starting in late 2007