Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY (MARCH , 2013) – The vast majority of Rio Grande Valley cities posted retail sales tax gains, a positive economic growth indicator, in 2013, according to the latest annual statistics released by the Texas Comptroller’s office.
McAllen led the region with $60 million in retail sales tax collections, nearly doubling second place Brownsville’s $34 million. Both cities are by far the Valley’s leaders in retail sales. Although McAllen has lost some retail market share in recent years, with several shopping centers, hundreds of restaurants and the largest mall in the region, it has long been the retail leader.
But other RGV cities, both large and small grew significantly in 2013, faster than McAllen and other cities. Palmview, a small city, lead the way with 25 percent growth over 2012 retail sales taxes. Even though its total collections were only $1 million, its expansion was astronomical. Other cities that expanded at a rapid pace included South Padre Island (18%), Donna (10%), Mercedes (8.4%), Roma (6.5%) and Edinburg (5%).
“Growth is always good news,” said RGV Partnership CEO Julian Alvarez. “Many cities rely on sales tax revenue to provide their citizens with basic services, like police and fire protection, but also to build parks and quality of life projects. Retail growth also provides jobs, making it a win-win situation.”
Across the Valley, cities have seen new national outlets and small businesses open shop. Edinburg and Harlingen, in particular, have been able to attract more retailers to developments near expressways to increase numbers. Smaller cities, like a Palmview, just one new store can show a dramatic increase.
The state collects 6% tax on retail sales. Cities collect an additional 2% tax on retail. Here’s what the top 20 cities for sales in the RGV collected in the actual calendar year 2013. NUMBERS ARE ROUNDED UP AND IN MILLIONS. Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: www.window.state.tx.us
| CITY | 2013 | 2012 | INCREASE | % INCREASE | % RANK |
| 1.McAllen | $60.30 | $60.09 | .21 | .3% | 14 |
| 2. Brownsville | $34.31 | $33.24 | 1.07 | 3.0% | 9 |
| 3. Harlingen | $21.16 | $20.65 | .51 | 2.5% | 10 |
| 4. Edinburg | $17.42 | $16.60 | .82 | 4.9% | 6 |
| 5. Mission | $14.54 | $14.47 | .07 | .5% | 13 |
| 6. Pharr | $13.43 | $13.16 | .27 | 2.1% | 11 |
| 7. Weslaco | $11.16 | $10.97 | .19 | 1.7% | 12 |
| 8. Mercedes | $7.49 | $6.91 | .58 | 8.4% | 4 |
| 9. San Benito | $3.84 | $3.85 | (-.01 | 0.0% | 15 |
| 10. RGC | $3.71 | $3.59 | .12 | 3.3% | 8 |
| 11. Alamo | $3.37 | $3.41 | (-.04 | (-1.0% | 16 |
| 12. San Juan | $3.09 | $2.98 | .11 | 3.7% | 7 |
| 13. SPI | $2.91 | $2.65 | .26 | 9.8% | 2 |
| 14. Donna | $1.97 | $1.81 | .16 | 8.8% | 3 |
| 15. P. Isabel | $1.96 | $2.01 | (-.05 | (-2.4% | 18 |
| 16. Hidalgo | $1.66 | $1.62 | .04 | 2.5% | 10 |
| 17. Raymond | $1.41 | $1.44 | (-.03 | (-.2.0% | 17 |
| 18. Roma | $1.14 | $1.07 | .07 | 6.5% | 5 |
| 19. Palmview | $1.04 | $.83 | .21 | 25.0% | 1 |
| 20. La Feria | $1.01 | $1.05 | (-.04 | (-3.8% | 19 |
