Sifter

Every three months, the city puts out a Quarterly Sales Tax Report showing where people have been spending their money. The report provides not only a snapshot for the city of where most if its tax revenues are coming from, but also keys businesspeople in on trends as to what kinds of goods and services people seem to want. Even with a slow economy, Northstate sales receipts from the first quarter of 2002 to the first quarter of this year increased 6.6 percent, while Butte County’s jumped by 8.4 percent. The top 25 sales tax providers are almost all big-box retailers, auto dealers, fast-food chains or industrial suppliers. Below is a selected breakdown of sales tax revenues by business type. The percentage of revenue the city sees is based on complex formulas created by the state.

Business Outlets Amount* % change** City collects

New cars 9 $448,219 +28.3% $64,543

Building materials. 20 $227,488 +14.9% $16,606

Gas stations 25 $143,213 +20.4% $9,166

Dept. stores 11 $137,494 -32.2% $6,050

Family apparel 50 $81,711 +19.4% $2,124

Fast food 161 $136,071 +10.5% $5,987

Office supply 78 $65,704 -12.6% $1,379

Light industry 93 $56,822 +46.6% $1,023

Groceries 23 $55,284 -10.7% $995

Gas industry 15 $49,558 +20.5% $793

Used cars 19 $47,118 +76.7% $707

Women’s clothes 41 $46,486 +20.3% $697

*The dollar amount of tax revenues generated by this business category

**From first quarter ‘02