New York state local government sales tax collections declined by 10 percent overall in 2020, or $1.8 billion, compared to the previous year, according to a report issued by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This decline was steeper than the drop during the Great Recession, when local sales tax collections fell 6 percent statewide in 2009 compared to 2008.
However, Washington county saw a slight increase of about 3.3% in sales tax from 2019 to 2020. Online shopping likely was the cause of this. Governor Cuomo last year approved legislation that allowed the state to begin collecting sales tax from online marketplaces.
We should all try to buy locally in Washington county or have items shipped to our local addresses because sales tax is a component of the county and town budgets – which does impact property taxes.