Shoppers in Alabama should spend about $362 million more during the holidays this year than last year.
During the holiday shopping months of November and December, Alabamians will buy more than $12.4 billion in goods, based on the Alabama Retail Association’s prediction of taxed sales for those months. That represents a 3% increase beyond the $12 billion spent in the 2018 holiday shopping period. That state projection lines up with the national holiday forecast, which calls for growth between 3.8% and 4.2% throughout the country.
Through October of this year, Alabama averaged 4.55% growth in regular sales tax collections each month over the same month last year. When you add in what Alabama has collected in sales taxes from out-of-state, online-only retailers that growth jumps to more than 11% in total taxed sales through October. However, in the prior two years, Alabama’s taxed sales during the holiday shopping period has grown an average of 2.75%.
This will be the second holiday shopping season with most remote sellers remitting sales taxes through Alabama’s Simplified Sellers Use Tax program and economic nexus rule. It will be the first with sales tax collections remitted by marketplaces that collect for third-party vendors.
Alabama Retail Association’s 3% holiday growth prediction is for all holiday taxed sales, including those from remote sellers.
Taxed holiday sales in 2018 in our state totaled $12,069,764,995.28, a jump of 2.66 percent over 2017 holiday sales, according to numbers provided by the Alabama Revenue Department.
The Alabama Retail Association urges shoppers to Shop Alabama throughout the year, especially during the holiday shopping period.
>> Shopping local helps downtown businesses survive, say mother/daughter owners of Opelika store
>> Holiday spending increases statewide
>> Strengthened online sales tax law bringing new revenue for local cities
>> Shop Alabama for the Holidays Campaign kicked off Thursday, Nov. 7, in Florence
Sales tax numbers for current year updated Dec. 5, 2019
Originally posted Oct. 3, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy King Dennis | 334.551.0643
The Alabama Retail Association represents retailers, the largest private employer in the state of Alabama, before the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Through sales of food, clothing, furniture, medicine and more, our 4,200 independent merchant and national company members touch almost every aspect of daily living. Since 1943, we’ve worked to promote what’s best for the retail industry in Alabama. Whether voicing the retail view when public policy is made, educating members about issues that impact them, negotiating rates for benefits and services or communicating the retail story, the Alabama Retail Association and its members are better together.