Taxable sales in San Benito County fell 6.1 percent in the last
quarter of 2009
– compared with the same quarter in the prior year – according
to a report issued last week by the California Board of
Equalization.
Taxable sales in San Benito County fell 6.1 percent in the last quarter of 2009 – compared with the same quarter in the prior year – according to a report issued last week by the California Board of Equalization.
Overall, 51 of the state’s 58 counties showed a decline in year-to-year taxable sales, with counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Southern California – both with a 5.6 percent decline – faring slightly better than the state’s 5.9 percent drop.
The 8.2 percent decline in taxable sales in Central Valley counties continued to outpace California numbers.
Regionally, Santa Clara County had a 4.9 percent drop in taxable sales during the reporting period; Monterey County’s rate fell by 3.3 percent; and Santa Cruz saw a 4.3 percent decline.
“While taxable sales in California continued a decline, there was improvement over the previous year,” said Betty T. Yee, chairwoman of the Board of Equalization. “It’s hard to find any Californian that hasn’t been touched by the recession – be it pay cuts, unemployment, foreclosures or diminished savings.”
Taxable sales in California declined for the 10th consecutive quarter, though the decline is less steep than during the depths of the recession. Fourth quarter 2009 taxable sales totaled $120.4 billion, $7.5 percent billion less than the fourth quarter of 2008. The decline was also less than the previously reported quarter, when taxable sales dropped 15 percent on a year-over-year basis.
The taxable sales report monitors retail sales activity in California, as measured by transactions subject to sales and use tax.
