Whitefish resort-tax revenue up 12 percent in July

Whitefish resort-tax revenue for the month of July was up 12 percent over last July, reflecting a busy summer in the resort community.

The city collected $234,624 from the 2 percent tax on lodging, restaurants/bars and luxury retail goods during July. That compares to $215,652 last July.

All business sectors saw increases.

Resort-tax revenue from motels was $54,499 in July, up significantly from $41,463 a year ago. Restaurants and bars collected $81,857, an increase of more than $10,000 from last July’s $71,552.

There also was an upswing in retail sales. July resort-tax revenue on retail goods was $98,267; that compares to $96,808 a year ago.

Retail sales historically have contributed the biggest share of resort-tax revenue.

In June, resort-tax collections were up for motels and restaurants/bars but down slightly for retail goods.

Since the tax began in 1996, Whitefish has collected $17.8 million.

Roughly two-thirds of the revenue is used for street reconstruction. Twenty-five percent of the revenue goes to property-tax rebates for city residents; 5 percent is used for parks and the remaining 5 percent for administration.