Sales tax numbers for Manhattan in June were down, according to figures just released by the State Treasurer’s Office and Manhattan Finance Director Bernie Hayen. The $870,536 collected is about $18,000 less than June of last year, when the numbers were $888,675. the net budget impact is a negative $4,515–previous to this a large surplus was shown in the budget impact numbers.
Hayen notes this is the first month in 2015 that was not higher than the preceding year. He adds surprisingly, most retail outlets and big box stores were up over the previous year with the exception of Town Center Mall. The City Finance Director explains when looking back at 2014 the lower collections at the Town Center are attributable to the closing of the Sears store. However, most retail stores within the Town Center were up compared to 2014.