Sales Tax Down, Overall Revenue Collections Up

Tennessee’s sales tax collections dropped slightly last month, even though those figures reflect holiday shopping that took place in December.

Sales tax revenue came in 15 million dollars below estimates for this year and 2 million less than what the state got in the same month last year.

Finance Commissioner Mark Emkes says that’s probably because aggressive marketing on Black Friday spurred people to make more purchases in November instead of waiting until closer to Christmas.

However, overall revenue collections were up in January, and so far this fiscal year, the state has brought in more than the budget anticipated.