With three-quarters of the year in the books, Lawrence sales tax collections on pace for nearly 10% growth

The City of Lawrence has now received nine of its 12 monthly sales tax checks from the state of Kansas. Thus far, the city’s sales tax collections are up 9.4% compared with a year ago. That is both a historically high number and a below-average number. In the past, a growth rate of 6% or 7% would be a great year for Lawrence sales tax collections. So, if Lawrence finishes the year at 9.4%, it would be extraordinary. But, it is also true that the number is currently below average. The average growth rate for local sales tax collections across the state is 11.5%. The reason for the strangeness, of course, is … inflation. As inflation has increased the price of most goods, sales tax collections have naturally gone up. Consumer demand has not increased by nearly 10% in Lawrence.
Source: LJWorld