The monthly sales tax figures are out for November, and they indicate that Austinites spent 6 percent more last month than November 2010. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs’ report says Austin collected $11.2 million in sales tax last month, compared with $10.5 million during the same period last year.
The positive numbers jibe with the improving employment picture in Austin. The latest jobs report showed the local economy added more than 13,000 positions over the last year. But the unemployment rate still rose to 7.1 percent because more people were out looking for work.
Statewide, the sales tax increase was even more dramatic, with revenue climbing by 12 percent last month compared to November 2010. Combs’ office says the state collected $2 billion in sales tax across Texas last month, largely due to growth in the growing oil and natural gas sector.
