Slowly yet surely, sales tax numbers over the winter season are being released as the Utah Tax Commission distributes tax funds to municipalities and counties across the state. And numbers look healthy for January, a trend that may not hold true as more data becomes available.

Each month, the commission sends funds collected the month before from the previous month’s sales, meaning any numbers released at this point in the year would indicate how sales were two months ago.

“Park City is unique because of how dependent it is on the tourism industry,” said Andre Baksh, an economist for the Utah Tax Commission. “There is a lot of national and international pull, and if the snow and the economy are good, Park City will do well.”

When distribution numbers for January were first released, Park City managed to significantly surpass last year’s transient room tax, a major indicator in out-of-town visits made during the month. This year, hotel room taxes generated $1,019,199 for the city, an increase of more than $200,000 from the year before.

“These numbers indicate the economic activity, especially for area like Park City,” Baksh said. “With tax numbers, we can pinpoint main the main tourist industries like hotels, restaurants and skiing.”

Park City Chamber/Bureau President Bill Malone said transient taxes surpassing last year made sense with what he saw for the month.

“January was pretty much dead even in terms of occupancy,” Malone said. “However, we saw that the average daily rate up by 10 percent, which would explain why we saw the increase.”

Other taxes inched above the previous year, showing nominal growth in January. Numbers that are more telling showing how Park City did over the winter will be released over the next two months, which would include taxes collected in February and March, both of which saw drops in occupancy rates, Malone said.

January Sale Tax Distribution to Park City and Summit County*

Retail and Sales Tax

2012: Park City $505,822.09

2011: Park City $490,999.64

Resort Communities Tax

2012: Park City $963,936.07

2011: Park City $935,441.17

Transient Room Tax**

2012: Summit County $1,019,199.99

2011: Summit County $814,631.75

Restaurant Tax**

2012: Summit County $265,591.43

2011: Summit County $258,232.97

Information provided by the Utah Tax Commission

*Numbers apply to taxes collected during January

**Some taxes are only collected at the county level