AUSTIN (August 15, 2009)--The struggling economy is taking a toll on sales tax collections in Central Texas and around the state, according to the latest figures from the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

Texas state sales tax collections for July were down 11.6 percent compared to last July, Comptroller Susan Combs says.

Combs sent $544 million in August sales tax allocations to local governments, which is down 6.8 percent compared to August 2008.

So far this calendar year, allocations to local governments are down 2.2 percent compared to the same time a year ago.

Killeen’s August sales tax allocation check was down 3.92 percent compared to last year. For the year, Killeen’s allocation is down 8.8 percent.

Temple’s August allocation check was down 3.97 percent. For the year, Temple’s allocation is down 2.15 percent.

Waco’s August allocation check was down 3.71 percent. For the year, Waco’s allocation is down 0.43 percent.

“Sales tax collections in July were again down significantly as major sectors of the economy, such as retail trade; oil and natural gas; and construction, remain weak,” Combs said.

“The sharp drop in revenue is a reflection of the current poor performance of these sectors as well as unusually strong sales tax collections in July 2008.”