January 2, 2025

State Sales Tax Revenue Totaled $4.1 Billion in December

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $4.1 billion in December, 1 percent more than in December 2023. The majority of December sales tax revenue is based on sales made in November and remitted to the agency in December.

“Overall sales tax collections grew modestly compared with December 2023, and at less than the rate of general price inflation,” Hegar said. “This suggests a lack of growth in real sales taxable activity, as continued high interest rates and depleted savings constrain spending, even as overall employment and income continue to grow.

“The largest increase among major sectors was in receipts from the construction sector. Among the other large sectors driven primarily by business spending, remittances from the manufacturing sector were essentially flat, while receipts from the mining and wholesale trade sectors came in significantly lower than a year ago. 

“From the major sectors driven mostly by consumer spending, receipts from the services sector were moderately above collections from December 2023 while receipts from the retail trade sector grew only slightly. Within the retail trade sector, receipts from grocery stores were up significantly, while receipts from general merchandise and clothing stores were about flat, and collections from online shopping grew only modestly. Receipts from home improvement and furniture stores declined significantly from a year ago.

“Receipts from restaurants increased from a year ago, coming in above the rate of inflation for food away from home for November.”

Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in December 2024 was up 3.7 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Sales tax is the largest source of state funding for the state budget, accounting for 58 percent of all tax collections.

Texas collected the following revenue from other major taxes:

• motor vehicle sales and rental taxes — $583 million, up 12 percent from December 2023;
• motor fuel taxes — $313 million, down 1 percent from December 2023;
• oil production tax — $431 million, down 14 percent from December 2023;
• natural gas production tax — $214 million, up 25 percent from December 2023;
• hotel occupancy tax — $61 million, up 47 percent from December 2023; and
• alcoholic beverage taxes — $150 million, up 10 percent from December 2023.

For details on all monthly collections, visit the Comptroller’s Monthly State Revenue Watch. For an extensive history of tax policy developments and fees since 1972, visit our updated Sources of Revenue publication.