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Sales tax revenue takes a hit in Erie County

money2.jfif
Posted at 6:17 PM, Jul 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-09 18:18:12-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County has lost tens of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue due to the shutdown of retail because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to numbers released Thursday by the Erie County Comptroller's Office.

Erie County collected $172,057,982 in sales tax revenue from March to May of this year, compared to $204,175,772 for the same period in 2019 - a loss of $32.1 million dollars.

"This is the consquence of shutting down most of the economy," comptroller Stefan Mychajliw said in a tweet sharing the numbers.

Numbers began to rebound in May, down $4.1 million compared to May 2019.

Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all retail stores to close in mid-March amid an alarming rise in COVID-19 numbers in New York. In-store shopping resumed in Erie County on June 2 under phase two of the state's reopening plan. Shopping malls can reopen Friday.