Resort tax collections up in slowest month

It’s the slowest month of the year for business in Whitefish, but resort tax collections in April were up nearly 4 percent compared to last year.

Collections from the 2 percent tax were $98,417, the highest total for the month since 2007.

This compares to the busiest months of July and August that each pull in about $300,000 in collections.

For April, $10,065 was collected from lodging, $41,894 from restaurants and bars, and $46,458 from retail.

Year-to-date, collections are up 5.33 percent compared to last year. The city has collected $1,722,895. Fiscal year 2013 wraps up at the end of June.

The resort tax is generally used as an indicator of how local businesses have fared in a particular month or year.

Collections are used for street reconstruction and property-tax rebates for city residents. Five percent is used for parks and the remaining 5 percent for administration.