State sales tax revenue down 13.2 percent YOY

​AUSTIN – According to the Texas Comptroller, state sales tax revenue totaled $2.61 billion last month, 13.2 percent less than in May 2019.

That’s the steepest year-over-year decline since January 2010. 

The majority of May sales tax revenue is based on sales made in April and remitted to the agency in May. Widespread social distancing requirements were in place across much of the state throughout April.

Sales tax is the largest source of state funding for the state budget, accounting for 57 percent of all tax collections, but the effects of the economic slowdown and low oil prices were evident in​ other sources of revenue in May 2020. 

Texas collected the following revenue from other major taxes:

• ​motor vehicle sales and rental taxes, $265 million, down 38 percent year over year (YOY); 

• motor fuel taxes, $221 million, down 30 percent YOY and the steepest drop since 1989;

• natural gas production tax, $31 million, down 76 percent YOY;

• oil production tax, $90 million, down 75 percent YOY, the steepest drop since March 1988, and the lowest monthly amount since July 2010;​

• hotel occupancy tax, $8 million, down 86 percent YOY and the steepest drop on record in data going back to 1982; and

• alcoholic beverage taxes, $28 million, down 76 percent YOY and the steepest drop on record in data going back to 1980.

The comptroller extended the due date for franchise tax payments this year from May 15 to July 15, meaning that comparisons to May 2019 collections are uninformative.

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