ALBANY – Sullivan County
sales tax revenue in the first six months of the year was up 18 percent
over the same period last year and while the county expected some increase
because of economic development, this exceeded expectations, said County
Manager Joshua Potosek. (Read
full report.)
The county keeps four percent of the total eight percent tax, which means
projected out for the year, Potosek said Sullivan stands to reach an additional
$150 million in taxable sales.
As budget preparation begins, Potosek expects the usual areas will receive
the additional money.
“Tax stabilization, tax relief, infrastructure, public safety; those
are some of the themes you are going to hear, and we have some of our
union contracts that haven’t been settled, so that is where you
will see the legislature debating on how we want to use some of that extra
money that they haven’t had the pleasure of having in the past,”
he said.
Westchester County sales tax rose by 6.8 percent in the first half of
the year while Putnam County increased by six percent and Dutchess and
Orange increased by just under six percent. Ulster gained under 3.5 percent
more while Rockland gained slightly more than two percent increase in
sales tax revenue.
