Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $3.78 billion in March, 5.8 percent more than in March 2023.
The majority of March sales tax revenue is based on sales made in February and remitted to the agency in March.
“Among sectors primarily driven by business spending, remittances from the construction sector grew dramatically, and much faster than reported construction input prices,” said Hegar.”Receipts from the manufacturing sector were up strongly after declining the previous two months, and the wholesale trade sector, which had not seen positive growth since May 2023, was up modestly. Receipts from the oil and gas mining sector were slightly up compared with a year ago.
“In the sectors driven primarily by consumer spending, remittances from live entertainment venues continued to be strong while receipts from the retail trade sector were up modestly. Among major retail sector components, the largest increase in receipts came from gasoline stations and grocery stores. Remittances from online merchants grew while receipts from general merchandise stores declined slightly, and receipts from refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies.
Governor Abbott met with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on March 28 in Austin to urge him to pass border security legislation that will help stop illegal crossings between ports of entry along the southern border.
During the meeting, Abbott told Johnson that the border crisis is both unacceptable and avoidable. Additionally, Abbott touted the success of Texas’ comprehensive border security efforts through Operation Lone Star, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, installing razor wire, and building the Texas border wall.