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Show Third quarter sales top previous best by Christopher Smart Park City's gross taxable sales for the summer months of July, August and September jumped $4.7 million over the same period in 1983, according to the Utah State Tax Commission. According to Herb Hopes of the Revenue Accounting Division of the Utah State Tax Commission, gross taxable sales for the third quarter totaled $19,213,284.57. The summer sales figure eclipses the 1983 third quarter mark of $14,587,344. During July, August and September of 1982, however, gross retail sales in Park City reached $18 million. Retail sales figures are tallied quarterly by the state because under Utah statute a percentage of the sales taxes collected in individual communities is returned to them. The "Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax" law of 1959 provides that three-quarters of one percent of taxable retail receipts be returned to municipalities every three months. Since July 1, 1983, an additional one eighth of one percent has been levied on retail sales. That tax is distributed throughout Utah to communities based on a ratio between population density and amount of gross retail sales generated. That redistribution, however, how-ever, favors heavily populated locales with relatively small shopping shop-ping districts. For the summer months of 1984, the municipality will receive $140,497.14 from sales taxes collected col-lected in Park City. For the same period in 1983, the city garnered only $124,448. According to Debby Symonds, executive director of the Park City ChamberBureau, the retail tax tigures show the past summer season was the town's best in numbers of visitors in spite of various local construction projects. Symonds said a summer promotion promo-tion campaign along the Wasatch Front can be credited for part of the success. But she added that there was no out-of-state summer promotion promo-tion this year because of the large amount of construction here. For the first time, beginning next March, the Park City Chamber Bureau will launch a campaign designed to bring out-of-state visitors here in the summer of 1985. Symonds said the promotion will be aimed at selling Park City's "image" to southwestern cities. Beyond Park City's share of the general sales tax, Utah law provides that another one-quarter of one percent be returned to cities for mass transit. Also, since July 1, 1983 Park City has levied the Resort Cities Sales Tax, which brings another three-quarters of one percent back to the municipality's coffers. Overall sales tax in Park City is 6 4 percent. The state keeps 4-58 percent. According to Hopes, Park City will receive $41,604 for mass transit from sales tax collected in the summer. For the same period in 1983 the municipality collected $38,769 for mass transit. The city will receive an additional $117,246 from Resort Cities Tax revenues for the third quarter months. During July, August and September of 1983, the resort tax . produced $73,678 for Park City. The resort tax combined with other sales tax revenues returned to the city's general fund, excluding mass transit money, equals $257,743 for the third quarter of 1984. |