Taxable sales reported in Calcasieu Parish for the 2014 fiscal year are up by 2.4 percent from the previous fiscal year, according to the Calcasieu School Board’s taxable sales analysis.

The total sales for the 2014 fiscal year are $4,671,234,603, while sales over the 2013 fiscal year totaled $4,561,005,003. The fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

The collections from taxable sales for May totaled $421,366,121 — up 4 percent from the $404,137,195 in collections during May 2013.

Utilities saw the largest percentage increase in taxable sales, with $105,427,966 in the 2014 fiscal year — up just over 33 percent from the $79,122,424 from the 2013 fiscal year.

Sales of apparel, including clothing and shoe stores, had a nearly 12 percent increase. There were $111,365,465 in taxable sales reported for the 2014 fiscal year, compared with $99,547,516 in the 2013 fiscal year.

Motor vehicle sales saw a nearly 11 percent increase, with $424,977,066 in the 2014 fiscal year, compared with $383,142,855 in the previous fiscal year.

Miscellaneous — book and music stores, tobacco shops, florists and funeral homes — saw a decrease in taxable sales. The report said there were $93,514,137 in taxable sales in the 2014 fiscal year — down nearly 12 percent from the $106,196,658 reported in the 2013 fiscal year.

Manufacturing also saw an 8.1 percent decrease from the previous fiscal year. Taxable sales amounted to $891,567,622 during the 2014 fiscal year and $969,726,684 in the 2013 fiscal year.Calcasieu Parish School Board’s main office at 3310 Broad St. (Special to the American Press)