A recent report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office found that sales tax collections in the first three months of this year were 1.9% higher than they were the same time last year. Long Island collected $839 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $823.6 million in the first three months of 2024.
Both counties also saw modest gains in the first quarter. In Nassau, there were $384.0 million in collections, up 2.0% from the same quarter the previous year, when the county brought in $376.6 million. In Suffolk, revenue rose 1.8% from $446 million to $453.8 million.
On a monthly basis, January and February looked good, but collections in March fell off. On Long Island, January’s collections increased 7.0% from $279.8 million in January 2024 to $299.4 million this year. In February, the gains were smaller — only 1.2% year over year from $250.8 million to $253.8 million. During the month of March, the region took in 2.4% less money compared to the same month last year; Long Island collected $285.8 million this year, while revenues were at $293 million last year…