SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Auditor-Controller Joe Harn has posted the El Dorado County sales tax update to the county’s website. The report covers the quarter ending March 2022.

The report indicates the county’s sales tax revenues increased by 12.9% compared to the same time period in 2021. This increase in sales tax revenue is largely due to gasoline sales, Harn noted.

“Revenues generated by service stations increased 24% because of the drastic inflation in petroleum products,” the auditor states in a news release. “This report is good news for the county’s revenue picture but it is the result of considerable suffering on the part of county residents as they feel the adverse effects of price increases in food and all types of energy.”

Revenues from online sales continued to grow despite the fact that one of the world’s leading online retailers changed the method it uses to apportion tax revenues to California local governments. Prior to Oct. 1, 2020, the retailer apportioned tax revenues to the county where the goods were delivered. This online seller submitted an amended sales tax return for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2020, shifting the tax revenue to the jurisdiction where the shipping warehouse is located.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Accounting is still in the process of reviewing this action. After CDFTA completes its review of this amended return and the revised tax apportionment method, significant changes to the county’s sale tax revenue stream are probable.

The report can be found at bit.ly/SALESTAXUPDATE.