Orleans County sales tax revenue jumps $2.4 million in 2021

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2022 at 6:17 pm

In past 2 years sales tax revenue up $4.1 million in Orleans or by 23.2 percent

Photo by Tom Rivers: Gas was selling for $3.77 a gallon for regular unleaded and $4.19 for diesel at the Crosby’s on Route 31 in Albion on Wednesday. Higher gas prices and inflationary increases helped push up sales tax revenues in the county in 2021, according to report from the state comptroller.

ALBION – Sales tax revenue took another big jump in 2021, increasing by $2.4 million or 12.7 percent from $19.4 million in 2020 to $21.8 million last year.

Over two years the sales tax revenue is up 23.2 percent from $17.7 million in 2019 to $21.8 in 2021.

This is the 4 percent local share of the sales tax and doesn’t include the state’s 4 percent share.

The local sales tax is mostly used to fund county government. The county shares $1,366,671 with the 10 towns and four villages. They have been frozen at that level since 2001.

State-wide the sales tax revenue for local governments increased 19.1 percent in 2021, after a year when they dropped by 10 percent due to restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic, when many businesses were closed.

“The pandemic substantially changed consumer spending for goods and services and from brick and mortar to online,” State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli stated in a sales tax report. “While local sales tax collections were robust in 2021 as the economy rebounded from the pandemic, some of that growth is attributed to inflation, which was the highest it has been in over 30 years. If inflation remains high, consumer spending on many taxable goods could decrease due to the rising cost of basic staples.”

Here is a breakdown of the sales tax revenue changes from 2020 to 2021 among some nearby counties:

Finger Lakes counties

  • Orleans, up 12.7 percent from $19.4 million to $21.8 million
  • Genesee, up 19.9 percent from $41.4 million to $49.7 million
  • Livingston, up 16.2 percent from $36.3 million to $42.2 million
  • Monroe, up 17.4 percent from $511.2 million to $599.9 million
  • Ontario, up 21.5 percent from $86.0 million to $104.5 million
  • Seneca, up 20.2 percent from $25.7 million to $30.8 million
  • Wayne, up 13.1 percent from $52.4 million to $59.2 million
  • Wyoming, up 13.3 percent from $20.0 million to $22.7 million
  • Yates, up 22.8 percent from $14.7 million to $18.0 million

Western New York counties

  • Allegany, up 15.8 percent from $23.6 million to $27.3 million
  • Cattaraugus, up 16.9 percent from $41.0 million to $47.9 million
  • Chautauqua, up 18.4 percent from $72.2 million to $85.5 million
  • Erie, up 16.4 percent from $814.6 million to $948.1 million
  • Niagara, up 17.1 percent from $129.1 million to $151.2 million